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Presented    by~V?(2>\i  .    C  !TP\   0^r\W 

BX  8949  .C52  1903 
Clark,  Robert  Lorenzo,  1849- 
History  of  Centre 
Presbyterian  Church,  New 


vm 


HISTORY  OF 


Centre  Presbyterian  Church 


NEW   PARK,  PA. 


I780-I9O3 


COMPILED  BY 

REV.  R^LORENZO    CLARK 

SOMETIME   PASTOR 


LANCASTER,   PA. 
1903 


J.  C.  WILEY, 

R.  W.  ANDERSON, 

R.  B.  McELWAIN, 

Publication  Committee. 


PRESS  OF 

TO€  NCW  ERA  PRINTING  COMPANY, 

LANCASTER,  PA, 


PREFACE. 

The  preparation  of  this  history  has  been  a  labor  of  love. 
If  the  author  had  not  had  a  love  for  the  kind  of  work 
therein  involved  it  is  not  likely  it  would  have  been  written. 

By  reason  of  the  fact  that  Centre  Church  at  one  time  and 
another  of  its  existence  has  been  connected  with  the  Pres- 
byteries of  New  Castle,  Baltimore,  Carlisle,  Donegal  and 
Westminster  the  collection  of  materials  was  no  easy  mat- 
ter. Journeys  to  Elkton,  Md.,  Baltimore,  Md.,  Harrisburg 
and  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  were  necessary,  and  many  tedious 
hours  were  spent  poring  over  musty  Presbyterial  and 
Synodical  Records.  Much  correspondence  with  descend- 
ants of  former  pastors,  officials  in  colleges,  and  those  who 
had  known  Centre  in  early  days  was  had. 

For  much  valuable  information  in  the  publication  of  this 
history  the  writer  is  indebted  to  Henry  Marsteller,  Duncan 
Brown,  Miss  Jemina  Bosley,  Mrs.  Mary  Frances  Straw- 
bridge  and  Mrs.  Mary  Slade  of  Centre  congregation,  and 
Rev.  John  Pym  Carter  and  Rev.  Andrew  B.  Cross  of  Bal- 
timore, all  of  whom  have  been  called  to  their  reward. 
Some  of  the  data  was  not  to  be  had  from  any  one  living 
but  was  obtained  from  the  cold  marble  that  marks  the  rest- 
ing place  of  the  dead. 

The  manuscript  was  originally  prepared  in  the  year  1890 
and  the  history  so  far  as  then  written  was  read  to  the 
Centre  congregation  on  the  sixth  and  thirteenth  of  June 
of  that  year,  the  former  date  being  the  eleventh  anniver- 
sary of  the  acceptance  of  the  call  by  the  then  pastor. 

If  this  history  shall  serve  to  put  in  permanent  form  the 
record  of  that  which  should  not  be  forgotten,  and  if  its 
perusal  by  the  congregation  of  my  first  love,  and  others 
interested,  shall  be  a  pleasure  I  shall  feel  amply  repaid. 
Lancaster,  Pa.,  September  15,  1903. 


CONTENTS. 

Portrait    Frontispiece 

Preface iii 

General    History    i 

First   Building    8 

Ministry  of  Rev.   George  Lucky i° 

Second   Building   *7 

Portrait,  Rev.  Samuel  Parke Facing  17 

Ministry  of  Rev.   Samuel   Parke 17 

Third  Building,  Illustration  of  Same 23 

Portrait,  Rev.  Samuel  Hume  Smith Facing  24 

Ministry  of  Rev.  Samuel  Hume  Smith 24 

Supplies    27 

Portrait,  Rev.  John  Young  Cowhick,  D.D Facing  28 

Ministry  of  Rev.  J.  Y.  Cowhick,  D.D 28 

Portrait,  Rev.  Johnston  McGaughey Facing  33 

Ministry  of  Rev.  Johnston  McGaughey 33 

Separation   from    Stewartstown 35 

Ministry  of  Rev.  Robert  Lorenzo  Clark 36 

Building  of  Manse 37 

Fourth  Building,  Illustration  of  Same 39 

Interior  view Facing  44 

Fiftieth  Anniversary  of  Sabbath   School 47 

Action  of  Session  and  Trustees  as  to  Funerals 48 

Addition  to  Manse 49 

Ordination  of  Robert  Reed  Gailey 5° 

Ordination   of   Samuel    Martin  Jordan 52 

Close  of  Sixth  Pastorate 53 

Pastor  Elect    56 

Presbyterial  Honors   57 

Sons  of  Centre  in  the  Ministry,  Portraits Facing  58 

Conclusion    61 

Officers   of   Congregation 62 

Portraits,  Session Facing  64 

Trustees 65 

Statistical  Tables  66 


HISTORY  OF 
CENTRE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 


HISTORY  is  the  record  of  the  unfolding  of  God's  plan 
as  to  man.  Church  History  is  the  record  of  the 
unfolding  of  His  plan  with  reference  to  His  church. 

God's  plan  involves  the  end  to  be  accomplished,  the  means 
to  be  used  and  the  application  of  these  means  in  all  ages. 
The  past  lived  for  the  present.  The  present  lives  because  of 
the  past,  and  the  record  of  what  God  has  done  and  what  He 
will  do,  with  His  own,  is  the  history  of  the  church. 

From  Jerusalem,  where  the  gospel  work  began,  its  prog- 
ress has  ever  been  westward.  As  the  persecutions  of  the 
early  church  spread  the  gospel  abroad  so  persecution  be- 
cause of  devotion  to  civil  and  religious  liberty  drove  many 
of  our  ancestors  to  these  western  shores  and  they  brought 
with  them  the  gospel  whose  blessings  we  enjoy  to-day.  It 
was  a  sturdy  manhood  that  led  them  to  resist  the  oppressor 
in  their  native  land.  Presbyterians  from  France,  Holland, 
Germany,  Scotland  and  the  north  of  Ireland  came  to  the 
new  world  seeking  a  place  where  they  could  worship  God 
according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  consciences. 

From  England  came  the  Quakers.  From  Germany  came 
the  Lutherans  and  the  German  Reformed.  From  Scotland, 
through  the  north  of  Ireland,  came,  in  the  main,  the  Scotch- 
Irish  Presbyterians  with  a  religion  as  sturdy  as  their  man- 
hood and  a  Calvinistic  faith  that  everywhere  and  always 
opposes  oppression. 

In  the  eighteenth  century  settlements  were  made  by  them 
in  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Virginia,  North  and  South 
Carolina.     As  early  as  1 719  or  1720  settlements  were  made 


2  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

west  of  the  Susquehanna  without  warrant.  In  1722  the 
first  survey  was  made  in  York  County.  Lancaster  County 
was  erected  out  of  Chester  County  in  1729.  In  the  spring 
of  this  year  John  and  James  Hendricks  made,  under  the 
authority  of  the  government,  the  first  authorized  settlements 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Susquehanna  River  in  what  is  now 
York  County.  They  were  soon  followed  by  other  families. 
This  part  of  York  County  was  settled  by  the  Scotch  and  the 
Scotch-Irish  1731-1735  and  by  "the  better  order  of  peas- 
antry." They  were  mainly  protestants  and  largely  Presby- 
terian. 

York  County  was  not  bought  from  the  Indians  until  1736 
and  at  this  time  there  was  a  large  influx  from  Ireland,  as 
many  as  one  thousand  families  sailing  from  Belfast.  Dr. 
Blakie  says  that  under  Charles  II  and  James  II  it  is  reckoned 
that  in  twenty-eight  years  eighteen  thousand  persons  were 
either  banished  or  put  to  death.  They  were  driven  from 
Scotland  through  the  north  of  Ireland  and  thence  to  this 
continent. 

York  County  remained  a  part  of  Lancaster  County  until 
August  19,  1749,  when  that  portion  of  Lancaster  lying  west 
of  the  Susquehanna  was  erected  into  a  separate  county  and 
called  York.  This  particular  part  of  the  county,  embracing 
Chanceford,  Lower  Chanceford,  Fawn,  Hopewell  and  the 
lower  part  of  Windsor,  including  about  130,000  acres,  is 
known  as  the  "  Barrens."  This  name  was  not  applied  be- 
cause of  an  inferior  quality  of  soil  but  because  previous  to 
1 73 1  the  Indians  burned  it  over  in  the  fall  of  the  year  so  as 
to  improve  it  as  a  "  Great  Park  "  and  thus  it  became  barren 
of  vegetables  and  trees. 

Fawn  was  one  of  the  original  townships  when  the  county 
was  erected.  In  1840  there  were  raised  in  it  3,529  bushels 
of  wheat,  12,840  of  oats,  1,709  of  rye,  826  of  buckwheat, 
8,180  of  corn,   12,840  of  potatoes  and  795  tons  of  hay. 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  3 

Truly  our  ancestors  did  not  come  here  to  fertile  fields  and 
lives  of  ease,  but  to  battle  against  obstacles.  In  church  and 
state  it  is  true,  "  Others  have  labored,  and  ye  are  entered 
into  their  labor." 

Wherever  the  Scotch-Irish  went  they  established  the 
church  and  the  school.  They  brought  with  them  univer- 
sity-trained men  to  be  the  pastors  of  their  churches  and  in- 
structors in  their  schools,  but  they  could  not  always  depend 
upon  this  source  of  supply.  Churches  multiplied  rapidly. 
Schools  were  in  demand  as  the  cost  of  an  education,  over 
the  sea  or  even  in  New  England,  was  very  great.  Accord- 
ingly William  Tennent,  a  native  of  Ireland,  a  profound 
scholar  and  a  noted  linguist,  the  pastor  at  "  Neshaminy 
Creek,"  opened  in  1726  a  school  for  the  education  of  young 
men  in  the  classical  languages  and  divinity. 

A  small  beginning  was  this,  but  what  mighty  results. 
Rev.  Samuel  Blair,  educated  in  Tennent's  school,  was  called 
to  the  church  at  "  Fagg's  Manor,"  Chester  County,  Pa.,  in 
1740.  He  in  turn  established  a  school  similar  in  character 
to  that  of  Tennent  at  Neshaminy.  From  his  school  went 
out  many  who  were  prominent  in  church  and  state.  One  of 
these,  the  Rev.  John  McMillan,  D.D.,  was  the  pioneer  mis- 
sionary to  western  Pennsylvania,  and  following  the  lead  of 
his  preceptor  he  established  his  school,  which  afterward 
grew  into  Jefferson  College. 

Another  of  Tennent's  pupils,  the  Rev.  Robert  Smith,  was 
called  to  the  church  of  "  Pequea,"  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  in 
1750,  where  he  founded  a  classical  and  theological  school. 
From  this  school  went  forth  men  who  became  college  presi- 
dents, missionaries  on  the  frontier,  and  leaders  in  all 
branches  of  business  and  professional  life.  One  of  these 
men  was  the  Rev.  George  Luckey,  a  pioneer  missionary  to 
northern  Maryland  and  southern  Pennsylvania  and  the  first 
pastor  of  this  church.     The  Rev.  Robert  Smith  was  his  pre- 


4  HISTORY   OF   CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

ceptor  and  when  he  came  to  the  farm  near  Black  Horse, 
Md.,  where  until  recently  resided  his  grandson,  Joshua  G. 
Luckey,  Esq.,  he  planted  his  classical  school.  From  this 
school  went  forth  such  men  as  Dr.  Ephraim  Bell,  of  New 
Market,  Dr.  James  Montgomery  of  Baltimore  and  Drs. 
Abram  and  St.  Clair  Street  of  Deer  Creek,  Md.  Also  Dr. 
William  N.  Luckey  of  Circlesville  and  Dr.  Josiah  Luckey  of 
Elmore,  Ohio.  Thus  wherever  the  Scotch-Irish  Presby- 
terian went  the  church  and  the  school  were  hand  in  hand. 

What  a  history  our  church  has  ?  One  cannot  approach  the 
work  of  compiling  it  without  a  feeling  akin  to  awe.  "  Put 
off  thy  shoes  from  off  thy  feet,  for  the  place  whereon  thou 
standest  is  holy  ground."  Uncover  thy  head  and  be  thou 
reverent  while  thou  walkest  with  the  shades  of  these  holy 
men. 

The  date  of  the  organization  of  Centre  Church  cannot  be 
definitely  determined.  The  congregation  may  have  been 
in  existence  before  the  Revolutionary  War.  Alexander's 
"  Princeton  College  in  the  eighteenth  century  "  says  of  the 
Rev.  John  Clark  that  he  "  received  his  license  from  the  Pres- 
bytery of  New  Brunswick,  May  9,  1760,  and  was  ordained 
and  settled  at  the  Forks  of  the  Delaware,  October  13,  1762. 
In  1767,  on  account  of  bodily  infirmity,  he  resigned  his 
charge  and  removed  to  Maryland,  where  he  became  the  pas- 
tor of  two  churches  in  Baltimore  County."  (Baltimore 
County  then  included  Harford  County.)  One  of  these 
churches  we  know  was  "  Bethel."  Was  the  other  "  Cen- 
tre "  ?  It  may  have  been.  It  is  not  in  Maryland  but  very 
close  to  the  line.  It  seems  as  though  it  must  have  been  Cen- 
tre, as  there  was  no  other  Presbyterian  church  near  enough 
to  have  been  associated  with  Bethel,  excepting  the  Slate 
Ridge,  and  it  was  never  without  a  pastor  during  Mr.  Clark's 
ministry.  "  Princeton  College  in  the  Eighteenth  Century  " 
also  says  of  the  Rev.  George  Luckey  that  he  was  the  pastor 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  5 

of  Bethel  and  Centre  Churches,  Harford  County,  Maryland. 
Here  both  churches  are  spoken  of  as  though  they  were  in 
Maryland. 

In  1 764-1 767  Charles  Mason  and  Jeremiah  Dixon,  two 
English  astronomers,  surveyed  "  Mason's  and  Dixon's  "  line 
for  244  miles  west  from  the  Delaware  to  a  warpath  on  the 
borders  of  Dunkard  Creek,  where  they  were  stopped,  by  an 
order  of  the  "  Six  Nations,"  when  within  six  miles  of  the 
Pennsylvania  boundary.  They  passed  by  this  point  in 
1765.  The  running  of  this  line  was  to  settle  a  dispute  be- 
tween Lord  Baltimore  and  William  Penn  as  to  their  re- 
spective claims.  The  wave  of  excitement  ran  high.  The 
running  of  this  line  located  many  of  the  members  of  Bethel 
Church  outside  the  territory  in  which  the  church  lay  and  the 
tendency  would  be  to  determine  another  place  of  worship. 
The  fact  that  the  first  pastor  of  Centre  was  also  the  pastor 
of  Bethel  gives  color  to  the  opinion  that  it  had  been  pre- 
viously associated  with  Bethel. 

The  increase  of  population,  the  distance  to  other  churches 
and  possibly  the  running  of  Mason's  and  Dixon's  line, 
which  settled  the  dispute  between  the  Penns  and  the  Balti- 
mores  and  concerning  which  feeling  ran  high  among  the 
people,  led  to  the  organization  of  this  new  church. 

A  question  here  arises  as  to  the  origin  of  the  name  "  Cen- 
tre "  as  applied  to  this  congregation.  The  people  who  gave 
it  this  name  did  not  come  from  an  old  "  Centre  "  and  so  the 
name  could  not  have  originated  in  that  way.  The  original 
settlers  were  from  about  Newark  and  New  Castle,  Delaware. 
Some  came  from  the  head  of  Christiana  and  others  from 
White  Clay  Creek. 

Whether  or  not  the  running  of  Mason's  and  Dixon's  line 
had  any  influence  in  forming  a  new  congregation  of  Presby- 
terians it  is  certain  that  the  congregation  must  have  been 
formed  from  the  membership  of  Bethel  and  Round  Hill  very 


6  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

largely  and  they  located  their  church  in  the  center  of  the 
distance  separating  the  two,  nine  miles  from  either,  and  it 
may  be  this  is  whence  it  derives  its  name. 

In  1 78 1  Centre  applied  to  the  Presbytery  of  Donegal  for 
supplies  and  the  Rev.  Colin  MacFarquhar  was  appointed.  In 
1782  Rev.  John  Slemons  was  directed  to  preach  at  Centre 
and  Hopewell.  In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  supply  the  same  churches.  This  is  the  first 
record  we  find  of  "  Centre  "  as  a  church  on  the  minutes  of 
any  Presbytery  and  it  is  likely  we  are  now  in  the  period  of 
its  actual  organization,  although  it  had  probably  been  a 
preaching  point  for  some  years. 

In  Rupp's  "  History  of  York  County  "  we  learn  that  in 
the  "  Barrens  "  four  churches  were  erected  previous  to 
1774.  Slate  Ridge  was  the  first.  Chanceford  was  the  sec- 
ond. It  is  likely  Round  Hill  (Hopewell)  was  the  third  and 
possibly  Centre  was  the  fourth.  The  same  authority  says 
that  in  1760  Rev.  John  Strain  was  installed  pastor  of  several 
congregations.  In  his  time  the  fourth  church  was  erected. 
Mr.  Strain  died  in  1774. 

The  deed  of  the  original  Centre  Church  property  is  as 
follows : 

This  indenture  made  the  15th  day  of  December  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  1782  between  William  Gray  of  Fawn  Township,  York 
Co.,  in  Pennsylvania,  of  the  one  part,  Yeoman,  and  Alexander 
Ramsay,  David  Wiley,  James  Denny,  Joseph  Wiley,  and  Joseph 
Kincart,  in  trust  for  a  Presbyterian  Congregation  called  "  Cen- 
tre Congregation,"  in  York  County  aforesaid,  witnesseth,  that 
the  said  William  Gray  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of 
three  pounds  lawful  money  of  Pennsylvania,  to  him  the  said 
William  Gray  well  and  truly  in  hand  paid  by  the  said  Alexander 
Ramsay,  David  Wiley,  James  Denny,  Joseph  Wiley,  and  Joseph 
Kincart,  at  or  before  the  ensealing  and  delivery  of  these  pres- 
ents, the  receipt  whereof  the  said  William  Gray  doth  hereby 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  7 

acknowledge,  and  thereof  and  of  every  part  and  parcel  thereof 
doth  acquit  and  exonerate  and  discharge  forever  the  said  Alex- 
ander Ramsay,  David  Wiley,  James  Denny,  Joseph  Wiley  and 
Joseph  Kincart  and  their  heirs  and  assigns  by  these  presents, 
has  granted,  bargained,  aliened,  released,'  enfeoffed  and  con- 
firmed, and  by  these  presents  do  grant,  bargain,  sell,  aliene,  re- 
lease, enfeoff,  and  confirm  to  Alexander  Ramsay,  David  Wiley, 
Joseph  Denny,  Joseph  Wiley  and  Joseph  Kincart,  (In  trust  for 
Centre  Congregation  aforesaid),  their  heirs  and  assigns  forever, 
[Property  described],  containing  three  acres.  It  being  a  part 
of  the  tract  of  land  which  was  surveyed  and  laid  out  in  pur- 
suance and  by  virtue  of  a  warrant  from  the  Honorable,  the  Pro- 
prietor's Land  Office,  granted  to  William  Bennet  and  Alexander 
Hill  for  two  hundred  acres  bearing  date  the  14th  day  of  March, 
1755.  Alexander  Hill  died  and  willed  one  fourth  of  the  land 
to  Ralph  Dorbin,  who  deeded  this  one  fourth,  June  10th,  1765, 
to  Robert  Stevenson,  who  deeded  it  May  2nd,  1772,  to  William 
Gray. 

William  Gray,     [seal.] 

I  George  Luckey. 
Sealed  and  delivered  in  presence  of  i  Robert  Miller. 

[Henry  Long. 

Received  this  day  of  —  Dec.  1782  of  Alexander  Ramsay, 
David  Wiley,  James  Denny,  Joseph  Wiley  and  Joseph  Kincart, 
three  pounds  in  full  of  the  consideration  money  above  men- 
tioned. 

Acknowledged  before, 

William  Smith, 

Justice  of  the  Peace. 

A  true  copy  taken  from  and  compared  with  the  original  at 
York  the  nth  day  of  March,  A.  Ds  1790. 

Alexander  Ramsay  and  his  associates  are  mentioned  as 
Trustees  of  Centre  Presbyterian  Congregation  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  Fawn  Township,  and  a  clause  of  the  record  is  as 


8  HISTORY   OF   CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

follows :  "  For  the  land  three  pounds  were  paid,  on  which 
is  to  be  erected  a  meeting  house  by  a  congregation  called 
Centre." 

This  much  is  evident.  In  1781  there  was  an  organized 
congregation  and  it  was  called  "  Centre."  In  1782  it  pur- 
chased land  and  prepared  to  build.  Just  when  Centre  had 
its  genesis  we  may  not  say,  possibly  as  early  as  1767.  It  is 
probable  it  was  organized  about  1780,  during  the  war  of  the 
Revolution.  We  are  reminded  by  this  of  the  fact  that 
Presbyterians  were  revolutionists.  The  first  pamphlet 
against  the  British  controlling  or  taxing  the  colonies  was 
written  by  the  Rev.  Alexander  Craighead,  a  Presbyterian 
minister.  The  Rev.  Hezekiah  James  Balch  was  the  chair- 
man of  the  committee  which  drew  up  the  famous  "  Mecklen- 
burg Resolutions,"  the  first  Declaration  of  Independence, 
adopted  in  Charlotte,  May  20,  1775,  more  than  a  year  before 
the  assembling  of  the  convention  in  Philadelphia.  He  was 
a  Presbyterian  minister.  Rev.  John  Witherspoon,  D.D., 
President  of  Princeton  College,  was  a  member  of  the  con- 
vention in  Philadelphia  and  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence.     He  was  a  Presbyterian  minister. 

The  First  Building. 
Where  the  Centre  congregation  first  worshipped  we  may 
not  say,  but  there  must  have  been  some  kind  of  a  church 
home  in  1784,  as  the  congregation,  in  that  year,  asked 
Presbytery  to  install  a  pastor  over  it.  The  first  building  of 
which  we  have  any  record  was  erected  in  1789  as  is  indicated 
by  the  following: 

We  the  under  subscribers  do  promise  to  pay  or  cause  to  be 
payd  to  the  trustees  of  the  Centre  congregation  for  to  assist  in 
building  a  meting  house  there  as  witness  our  hands  this  6  day 
of  march  1789. 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 


Robert  Anderson 

0. 

10. 

o.  paid  o.  7.  6.  paid  John  mont- 
gomery for  haling  0.  10.  0. 

John  montgomery 

o. 

io. 

0.  paid  in  halin  shingels. 

William  faris 

o. 

7- 

6.  X 

John  Smith 

0. 

3- 

9.  Paid. 

Michel  Morison 

o. 

io. 

6.  X 

David  griffith 

0. 

7- 

6. 

Andrew  Warick 

o. 

3- 

9.  X 

James  Criswell 

0. 

3- 

9.  Paid 

Robert  Criswell 

o. 

3- 

9.  Paid 

John  Brown 

o. 

7- 

6.  paid  to  W.  E. 

George  Mecan 

o. 

7- 

6.  X 

Thomas  Smith 

o. 

5- 

0. 

Samuel  Brooks 

o. 

7- 

6. 

This  subscription  amounted  all  told  to  four  pounds  and 
eight  shillings.  There  may  have  been  other  papers  or 
this  may  be  a  leaf  out  of  a  subscription  book.  The  indica- 
tions are  that  it  is  the  latter.  (The  original  is  now  in  the 
possession  of  the  Session.) 

The  first  building  stood  on  the  face  of  the  hill  near  the 
spring  and  the  remains  of  the  foundation  could  yet  be  seen 
when  the  writer  came  among  you.  Like  the  meeting  houses 
of  that  day  it  was  a  small  log  building  with  few  windows 
and  no  seats  except  such  as  the  members  provided,  no  floor 
and  no  stove.  There  may  have  been  a  temporary  structure 
before  this  building  was  erected  and  there  probably  was,  as 
for  a  long  time  this  church  was  known  as  "  the  tent."  Rev. 
Andrew  B.  Cross  said  that  as  late  as  1837  he  had  heard  old 
people  so  speak  of  it. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  year  in  which  this  build- 
ing was  erected  was  that  in  which  our  General  Assembly  met 
for  the  first  time ;  in  which  the  first  Congress  of  the  United 
States  assembled ;  in  which  the  first  President  of  the  United 
States  was  inaugurated  and  the  first  of  our  National  Consti- 
tution. 


IO  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

The  following  receipts  are  of  interest  as  showing  how 
pastors  received  their  salary  and  how  church  business  was 
transacted  in  the  early  days. 

Jan  17,  1 78 1  Received  of  Robert  Nelson  three  bushel  and 
one  third  bushel  of  wheat  for  year  1780. 

John  Clark  Pastor  Bethel  Church. 

Feb.  4,  1789  Received  of  Robert  Nelson  one  pound  ten  shil- 
lings for  the  Revd  George  Luckey  Stepens  for  the  year  1888 
and  ten  shillings  for  covering  the  meeting  house  by  me. 

his 

John  X  Given 

mark. 

The  First  Pastor. 

At  White  Clay  Creek,  Del.,  April  27,  1784,  "  A  petition 
from  the  congregations  of  Bethel  and  Centre  requesting  the 
ordination  of  Mr.  Luckey  was  brdught  in  by  Mr.  James 
Latta  and  read.  As  neither  Mr.  Luckey  nor  any  commis- 
sioners from  said  congregations  appeared  the  consideration 
of  it  was  deferred  till  our  next  meeting."  At  a  meeting  of 
Presbytery  at  Upper  Octoraro,  October  11,  1784,  it  was 
agreed  not  to  ordain  Mr.  Luckey  until  a  call  be  prepared. 
At  East  Nottingham,  Md.,  October  26,  1784,  Messrs.  Robert 
Kirkwood  and  Robert  Anderson,  commissioners  respectively 
from  the  congregations  of  Bethel  and  Centre,  brought  into 
Presbytery  a  call  for  Mr.  Luckey  which  was  presented  to 
and  accepted  by  him.  The  commissioners  requested  that 
Presbytery  would  ordain  and  install  him  as  soon  as  con- 
venient. 

On  the  opening  leaf  of  the  book  in  which  these  records 
appear  the  clerk  has  written  of  how  "  the  troublesome  times, 
War  and  Distress,  etc.,  etc.,  and  the  Enemy's  marching 
through  the  Presbytery's  bounds  occasioned  the  loss  of  their 
old  Records :    and  many  of  their  Running  Minutes  of  that 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  II 

Distressing  day  are  dropped  aside  or  turned  fugitive  with 
the  enemy  and  disaffected,  so  that  it  is  doubtful  whether  any 
of  them  that  are  lost  or  fled  will  ever  be  recovered  or  found." 
Possibly  in  this  we  have  the  reason  for  there  being  no  Pres- 
byterial  record  of  the  organization  of  this  church. 

At  the  above  mentioned  meeting  of  Presbytery,  on  the 
twenty-seventh  of  October,  1784,  Mr.  Luckey  was  ordered 
to  prepare  a  sermon  on  Romans  5:1,  and  an  English  disser- 
tation, "Is  a  Sinner's  Regeneration  in  His  Own  Power?" 
to  be  delivered  at  the  next  meeting  as  parts  of  trial  prepara- 
tory to  ordination.  At  an  adjourned  meeting  of  Presbytery 
held  at  West  Nottingham,  Pa.,  December  14,  1784,  these 
parts  of  trial  were  delivered  and  accepted.  At  this  meeting 
Mr.  Luckey  was  ordered  to  prepare  a  lecture  on  the  twenty- 
third  Psalm  for  the  next  meeting  when  Presbytery  agreed 
to  ordain  him  if  the  way  be  clear.  Rev.  Robert  Smith  was 
directed  to  preside  at  the  Ordination  and  Rev.  James  Latta 
to  give  the  charge. 

The  meeting  of  Presbytery  when  Mr.  Luckey  was 
ordained  was  held  in  the  Chestnut  Level  Church.  It  con- 
vened April  26,  1785,  and  was  opened  by  Mr.  Luckey  as 
appointed  at  the  last  meeting.  "  On  the  next  day,  April  27, 
1785,  Mr.  George  Luckey  having  passed  the  usual  trials  for 
ordination,  and  accepted  and  adopted  the  Westminster  Con- 
fession of  Faith,  and  the  form  of  Worship  and  Discipline 
and  Government  as  the  same  are  received  in  the  church,  and 
promised  subjection  to  his  brethren  in  the  Lord,  after  a  ser- 
mon by  Rev.  Robert  Smith  from  1st  Timothy  4:  16  was 
solemnly  set  apart  to  the  work  of  the  gospel  ministry  by 
fasting,  prayer,  and  imposition  of  the  hands  of  the  Presby- 
tery, and  is  now  become  a  member  of  this  Presbytery." 

At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery  held  at  Head  of  Christiana, 
August  30,  1785,  Rev.  Robert  Smith  reported  that  he  had 
installed  Rev.  George  Luckey  in  the  congregations  of  Bethel 


12  HISTORY   OF   CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

and  Centre  agreeably  to  their  request.  The  Presbytery- 
approved  this  action  although  it  was  taken  by  Mr.  Smith 
without  the  formality  of  an  order  which  he  supposed  had 
been  given  and  entered  on  the  minutes.  Just  when  this  in- 
stallation took  place  will  never  be  known,  but  it  was  between 
April  27  and  August  30,  1785. 

A  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle,  held  in  East 
Nottingham,  October  28,  1785,  was  opened  with  a  sermon 
by  Rev.  Geo.  Luckey  from  Jer.  51:5,  and  of  this  meeting 
he  was  clerk  pro-tem. 

In  1732  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  erected  a  new  Presby- 
tery, out  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle,  in  Lancaster 
County,  Pa.,  and  called  it  Donegal.  During  the  "  Old  and 
New  Light  "  controversy  New  Castle  was  in  sympathy  with 
the  New  Lights  and  was  attached  to  the  Synod  of  New 
York.  Donegal  was  in  sympathy  with  the  Old  Lights  and 
was  attached  to  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia.  During  this 
controversy  Presbyterial  lines  were  not  definitely  marked 
and  persons  in  sympathy  with  and  belonging  to  each  of  these 
Presbyteries  were  living  within  the  bounds  of  the  other. 
When  the  Synods  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  were 
united  it  was  agreed  to  dissolve  the  Presbytery  of  Donegal. 
Accordingly  in  1786  Donegal  was  divided  between  the  Pres- 
byteries of  Baltimore  and  Carlisle.  The  Presbytery  of 
Baltimore  consisted  of  Revs.  John  Slemons,  James  Hunt, 
Stephen  Balch  and  Isaak  Keith  of  the  dissolved  Presbytery 
of  Donegal  together  with  Patrick  Alison  of  the  late  Second 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  and  Rev.  George  Luckey  from 
the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle.  (Rev.  George  Luckey  was 
evidently  a  "  New  Light.") 

The  Presbytery  of  Baltimore  met  for  the  first  time  in 
Baltimore  Town,  November,  1786.  From  this  meeting  Mr. 
Luckey  was  absent  on  account  of  bad  weather. 

In  the  record  of  the  meeting  held  April  18,  1787,  Mr. 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  1 3 

Luckey  is  noted  as  the  pastor  of  Bethel  and  Centre  and  the 
youngest  pastor  of  the  six  charges  having  regular  pastors 
in  the  Presbytery.  In  Georgetown,  April  20,  1791,  Mr. 
Luckey  was  chosen  Clerk  of  the  Presbytery,  which  office  he 
held  for  two  years. 

At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery,  held  in  Baltimore,  April  17, 
1792,  Mr.  Luckey  reported  that  after  a  great  many  appeals 
he  had  collected  from  his  churches  1.  11.  6.  which  he 
was  ordered  to  forward  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  General 
Assembly. 

The  Presbytery  of  Baltimore  met  in  Baltimore,  September 
30,  1794,  when  because  of  a  contagious  fever  then  raging 
there  was  no  sermon,  no  minutes  read  and  little  done.  Mr. 
Luckey  was  the  Clerk  at  this  meeting. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  held  at  Deer  Creek,  Oc- 
tober 5,  1796,  Mr.  Luckey  was  Moderator,  and  at  a  meet- 
ing in  Baltimore,  April  19,  1797,  he  reported  the  contribu- 
tion of  Centre  and  Bethel  to  the  Fund  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly as  1.  10.  8. 

The  following  paper  was  adopted  by  the  Presbytery  in 
Baltimore,  April  16,  1799:  "  On  considering  the  distance  at 
which  some  of  our  members  reside  from  each  other  being 
nearly  one  hundred  miles,  the  peculiar  difficulty  to  many  to 
attend  the  sessions  of  Presbytery  where  they  ought  to  be 
sometimes  held,  and  the  different  changes  that  have  taken 
place  among  us,  a  new  arrangement  appears  highly  neces- 
sary to  remedy  the  inconvenience  thence  arising,  and  render 
an  attendance  on  Judicatories  more  practical  and  useful. 
Our  Commissioners  to  the  General  Assembly  were  accord- 
ingly instructed  to  propose  that  Rev.  John  Slemons,  Rev. 
Geo.  Luckey,  Rev.  Samuel  Martin  and  Rev.  Caleb  Johnson 
be  joined  to  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle,  and  that  the 
churches  of  those  among  this  number  who  have  pastoral 
charges,  together  with  the  vacancies  Deer  Creek  and  Chance- 


14  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

ford  be  also  placed  under  the  care  of  the  same  Presbytery." 

This  request  the  General  Assembly  granted  Saturday, 
May  1 8,  1799,  and  its  action  was  reported  to  the  Presbytery 
of  Baltimore,  September  24,  1799. 

The  Presbytery  of  New  Castle  met  at  Upper  Octoraro, 
August  20,  1799,  and  agreed  to  receive  these  brethren  when 
they  present  proper  testimonials.  At  Faggs  Manor,  April 
7,  1 80 1,  Rev.  Geo.  Luckey  presented  his  testimonials  and 
took  his  seat.  Mr.  Luckey  was  moderator  of  meetings  of 
Presbytery  held  in  Chestnut  Level,  August  14,  1804,  and  at 
Faggs  Manor,  September  25,  1804. 

On  the  tenth  of  August,  18 14,  Rev.  George  Luckey  pre- 
sided at  the  ordination  of  Rev.  Samuel  Parke  at  Slate  Ridge. 

At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery  held  in  Chestnut  Level,  Sep- 
tember 30,  1818,  Rev.  George  Luckey  asked  leave  to  resign 
his  pastoral  charge  at  Bethel  and  Centre  because  of  "  exist- 
ing grievances."  It  was  resolved  that  the  congregations 
be  cited  to  appear  at  the  next  meeting  to  show  cause,  if  any, 
why  this  should  not  be  done.  A  committee  was  at  the  same 
time  appointed  to  visit  Bethel  and  see  if  the  grievances  could 
not  be  allayed.  If  not  the  commissioners  were  to  appear. 
This  would  indicate  that  there  was  no  trouble  between  Cen- 
tre and  Mr.  Luckey. 

The  above  committee  reported  at  Wilmington,  April  6, 
18 19,  that  it  could  not  reconcile  the  difficulties  and  the  pas- 
toral relation  was  dissolved,  a  commission  from  the  churches 
concurring  in  Mr.  Luckey's  request,  and  they  were  declared 
vacant. 

It  is  not  meet  that  we  should  close  this  epoch  of  Centre's 
history  without  a  more  extended  notice  of  this  grand  man, 
a  pastor  here  for  thirty-four  years. 

Rev.  George  Luckey  was  the  son  of  Hugh  Luckey  and 
Jane  Findlay,  and  was  born  at  Faggs  Manor,  Chester 
County,  Pa.,  in  June,  1751.     He  had  three  brothers  and  one 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  1 5 

sister.  The  latter  married  Rev.  James  Dunlap,  D.D.,  Pres- 
ident of  Cannonsburg  College. 

Rev.  George  Luckey  grew  up  under  the  ministry  of  Rev. 
John  Blair  and  Rev.  Robert  Smith.  He  probably  attended 
school  under  both  of  these  and  also  under  Ross,  the  author 
of  a  Latin  grammar.  He  taught  school  in  Virginia,  board- 
ing with  James  Madison's  father.  A  tradition  states  that 
James  Madison,  afterward  President  of  the  United  States, 
was  prepared  for  college  by  George  Luckey.  They  were  in 
college  together,  Madison  graduating  in  1771  and  Luckey  in 
1772.  George  Luckey  was  a  classmate  of  Rev.  John  Mc- 
Millan, D.D.,  the  father  of  Presbyterianism  in  western  Penn- 
sylvania and  the  founder  of  Jefferson  College.  He  was  also 
a  classmate  of  Aaron  Burr,  afterward  Vice-President  of  the 
United  States. 

"  In  1 77 1  the  merchants  of  New  York  sent  a  letter  to  mer- 
chants in  Philadelphia  asking  their  concurrence  in  the  re- 
breaking of  a  resolution  not  to  import.  Their  letter  was 
burned  by  the  students  of  this  place  in  the  college  yard,  all 
of  them  appearing  in  black  gowns  and  the  bell  tolling. 
There  are  about  one  hundred  and  fifteen  in  the  college  and 
in  the  Grammar  School  all  of  them  in  American  cloth." 
This  is  a  quotation  from  a  letter  written  by  James  Madison 
to  Thomas  Martin  on  the  opinion  in  the  college  as  to  the 
oppression  of  the  Colonies  by  Great  Britain.  George  Luckey 
was  in  Princeton  College  at  this  time  and  doubtless  was  one 
of  the  party  who  thus  manifested  its  dislike  for  the  course 
pursued  by  the  Mother  Country. 

George  Luckey  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New 
Castle  in  1776  and  ordained  by  the  same  Presbytery  in  1785. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Buchanan  of  Chestnut  Level,  Pa., 
who  was  born  and  brought  up  on  a  farm  afterward  owned 
by  Mr.  Thomas  N.  McSparran,  until  late  of  this  congrega- 
tion.    As  Mr.  Luckey  was  ordained  in  the  Chestnut  Level 


1 6  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

Church  it  may  be  that  he  was  entertained  at  the  Buchanan 
homestead,  and  thus  made  the  acquaintance  of  her  who  was 
to  be  his  help-meet  in  the  Master's  work.  Four  sons  blessed 
this  union,  William  N.,  M.D.,  John,  James  and  Josiah, 
M.D.,  all  removing  to  Ohio  except  James,  who  remained 
at  the  old  home  at  Blue  Rocks,  Md. 

Mr.  Luckey  continued  to  preach  at  Bethel,  occasionally, 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  December  23,  1823.  He 
died  at  his  home,  and  where  his  grandson,  Joshua  G.  Luckey, 
Esq.,  until  his  death  resided,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery 
at  Bethel  under  the  spot  where  stood  the  pulpit  of  the  first 
church  building — how  appropriate?  A  marble  tomb  marks 
his  resting  place  upon  which  is  the  following  inscription : 

In  memory  of  Revd.  George  Luckey,  late  pastor  of  Bethel 
and  Centre.  Born  in  June  1751.  Graduated  at  Princeton  Oct. 
1772.  Ordained  and  installed  1784.  Departed  this  life  Dec. 
6th  1823.  This  is  a  standing  monument  of  the  respect  due  by 
the  above  churches  to  their  pastor.  [The  date  of  ordination 
and  of  death  are  both  wrong  in  this  inscription  and  correct  as 
given  in  the  body  of  this  history.] 

"  Princeton  College  in  the  Eighteenth  Century  "  says : 
"  Mr.  Luckey  was  a  fine  classical  scholar,  an  intelligent 
preacher,  in  his  manners  plain,  in  labors  unwearied.  Very 
few  had  an  equal  acquaintance  with  the  Scriptures." 

The  writer  has  in  his  possession  a  manuscript  sermon  by 
the  Rev.  George  Luckey  consisting  of  thirty-four  closely 
written  pages.  The  text  is  1  John  3  :g  and  the  theme 
"God's  People  a  Sinless  People."  The  MS.  is  yellow 
with  age,  a  full  century  of  years,  and  the  outside  pages 
were  only  deciphered  with  the  aid  of  a  strong  magnifying 
glass.  This  sermon,  a  whole  body  of  divinity,  was  put  into 
type-written  form  and  read  to  the  Centre  congregation 
June  20,  1889.  It  required  about  one  hour  and  a  quarter 
for  delivery. 


REV.   SAMUEL    PARK. 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  1 7 

Samuel  Martin,  D.D.,  a  former  pastor  of  Chanceford,  and 
an  intimate  friend  of  Mr.  Luckey's,  said  of  him :  "  He  ex- 
celled in  pastoral  labors  from  house  to  house  and  had  the 
talent  possessed  by  few  of  introducing  religious  duties  when 
thrown  into  the  society  of  those  who  were  ignorant  of  and 
had  an  aversion  to  them,  and  that  he  was  a  decided  Cal- 
vinist." 

When  Brown's  large  Folio  Family  Bible,  with  notes,  was 
published,  costing  in  sheets  ten  dollars  a  copy,  Mr.  Luckey 
subscribed  for  forty  copies,  for  his  people,  as  is  shown  by  the 
printed  list  of  subscribers  in  the  back  of  his  own  copy  now 
owned  by  the  family  of  his  grandson,  J.  G.  Luckey,  Esq. 

What  a  revelation  here  as  to  the  character  of  the  people 
to  whom  he  preached  and  to  his  character  as  a  pastor.  A 
fine  preacher.     A  faithful  Presbyter.     A  grand,  good  man. 

The  Second  Building. 
During  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Luckey  the  second  church 
building  was  erected.  It  was  like  the  first,  a  log  structure, 
and  stood  about  where  Mr.  J.  Scott  Kisiners  burial  lot  is 
located  in  the  cemetery.  It  stood  with  the  end  toward  the 
road.  It  had  a  door  in  the  end  next  the  road  and  a  double 
door  in  the  side  next  the  spring.  The  pulpit  was  in  the 
center  of  the  side  next  the  cemetery.  (This  information  as 
to  this  building  was  furnished  by  Mrs.  Mary  Slade,  April 
21,  1887,  when  she  was  nearly  ninety  years  old.)  There 
were  no  pews  in  this  church.  The  seats  were  benches  about 
thirteen  feet  long,  with  low  narrow  backs.  One  of  them  is 
still  in  existence  and  can  be  seen  on  the  porch  of  the  residence 
of  James  W.  Brown. 

The  Second  Pastor. 
After  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Luckey  Centre  was  vacant 
for  one  year.     It  then  extended  a  call  to  Rev.  Samuel  Parke, 


1 8  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

pastor  of  the  Slate  Ridge  Church,  for  one  third  of  his  time. 
This  call  was  presented  to  Mr.  Parke  at  Pencader  Church, 
April  4,  1820,  and  accepted.  There  were  at  this  time  forty 
seven  contributing  members  and  the  salary  was  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  annum.  On  a  slip  of  paper 
the  writer  has  found  the  following : 

For  Fawn         $49.00 
Dublicate   for    1843,  For  Hopewell     32.75  Total  $114.50 
For  Maryland    32.75 

Mr.  Parke  was  installed  as  pastor  at  Centre  on  Tuesday, 
May  2,  1820.  Presbytery  directed  Rev.  Samuel  Martin  or 
Rev.  Robert  White  to  preside,  Rev.  William  Finny  or 
Rev.  Robert  Graham  to  preach  and  Rev.  James  McGraw  or 
Rev.  J.  N.  C.  Grier  to  deliver  the  charge.  It  is  likely  these 
services  were  performed  by  the  principals  as  they  were  all 
located  near  to  Mr.  Parke. 

The  Presbytery  of  New  Castle  met  in  Centre  Church, 
April  7,  1829,  and  was  opened  with  a  sermon  by  Rev. 
Ebenezer  Dickey,  D.D.  James  Wiley'  represented  this 
church  and  the  Presbytery  was  in  session  during  Tuesday 
and  Wednesday.  At  this  meeting  a  paper  with  reference  to 
intemperance,  Sabbath-breaking  and  the  taking  of  religious 
papers  was  presented  and  acted  upon.  It  would  seem  as 
though  Presbytery  was  in  better  shape  than  previously  to 
act  on  the  subject  of  intemperance  as  we  find  the  following 
record  in  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  held  the  year  before, 
April  1,  1828,  at  the  Lower  Brandy  wine  Church :  "  Presby- 
tery entertained  without  the  use  of  ardent  spirits  for  the 
first  time.  Tea  substituted."  During  this  meeting  at  Cen- 
tre Mr.  John  F.  Corran  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel. 

We  have  already  stated  that  Mr.  Parke's  salary  was  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  annum.  His  receipts  to 
the  Treasurer  indicate  that  he  never  received  that  sum  and  it 


HISTORY    OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  1 9 

is  possible  so  much  was  not  promised.  That  the  congrega- 
tion was  not  always  prompt  in  paying  what  it  had  promised 
is  evident  from  the  following : 

January  9,  1835. 
We  the  undersigned  being  a  committee  appointed  by  the  con- 
gregation to  settle  with  Mr.  Parke  and  W.  Gemmill,  Treasurer, 
met ;  when  Mr.  Parke  and  the  Treasurer  in  our  presents  settled 
all  the  congregational  accounts  as  far  as  regards  stipend  up  to 
January  I,  1834,  and  there  is  a  balance  due  Mr.  Park  of  arrear- 
ages of  fifty-seven  dollars. 

James  Duncan. 

Joseph  Bosley. 
James  Wiley,  Jr. 
William  Anderson. 

The  first  record  we  have  of  a  Sabbath  School  in  connection 
with  Centre  Church  is  in  1840.  There  were  then  ninety  six 
scholars  in  the  school,  forty  seven  males  and  forty  nine 
females.  Who  were  the  officers  is  not  known,  but  some  of 
the  teachers  were  Benjamin  Payne,  Joseph  Anderson, 
Jemina  Bosley  and  Eleanor  Duncan. 

In  1842  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle  was  divided  and 
out  of  it  the  Presbytery  of  Donegal  was  organized.  Centre 
Church  with  its  pastor  was  set  over  to  Donegal.  This  Pres- 
bytery met  in  Columbia  in  April,  1843,  and  it  appearing  that 
there  was  an  unpleasant  state  of  affairs  existing  in  Centre 
Church  it  was  ordered  that  an  adjourned  meeting  of  Presby- 
tery be  held  there  June  13  to  investigate  the  matter.  Ac- 
cordingly Presbytery  met  that  day  at  11  A.  M.  and  was 
opened  with  a  sermon  by  Rev.  Mr.  Elcock.  There  were 
present  at  this  meeting:  Ministers,  Stephen  Boyer,  Samuel 
Parke,  Lindly  C.  Rutter,  T.  Marshall  Boggs  and  Robert 
Dunlap;  Elders,  S.  G.  Irwin,  Chanceford;  Joseph  Bosley, 
Centre;  John  Long,  Chestnut  Level;  Andrew  Anderson, 
Hopewell;  Edwin  M.  Donaldson,  York;  Hugh  Andrews, 


20  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

Union;  and  David  R.  Ebaugh,  Mechanicsburg  (Stewarts- 
town). 

Mr.  J.  M.  Boggs  was  examined  and  licensed  to  preach  the 
gospel.  Inquiry  with  regard  to  the  trouble  in  the  church 
was  made.  An  individual  examination  of  members  and 
pew  holders,  occupying  several  hours,  was  made  in  the 
"  Study  House,"  and  the  difficulty  proving  of  such  magni- 
tude as  to  render  an  adjustment  at  this  time  impossible  the 
whole  matter  was  referred  to  a  committee  consisting  of 
Robert  Dunlap,  T.  Marshall  Boggs  and  John  McNair,  Min- 
isters, and  Dr.  McCorkle  and  E.  M.  Donaldson,  Elders. 
This  committee  reported  to  the  Presbytery  at  Chanceford, 
October  3,  1843,  tnat  ft  na^  taken  the  testimony  of  fifty  five 
members  and  pew-holders,  four  fifths  of  whom  desired  to 
retain  the  services  of  Mr.  Parke.  The  majority  of  these 
were  members  of  the  church  and  heads  of  families.  This 
committee  recommended  the  adoption  of  a  resolution  "  earn- 
estly and  affectionately  advising  Rev.  Samuel  Parke  to  re- 
sign the  pastoral  charge  of  Centre  Church,"  this  being  the 
best  solution  of  the  difficulty.  The  resolution  was  lost  and 
Centre  was  directed  to  send  up  its  Sessional  Records.  It 
was  impossible  to  do  this  for  previous  to  this  time  no  records 
had  been  kept. 

A  Churchtown,  Md.,  April  16,  1844,  papers  were  pre- 
sented by  Vincent  Norris,  Robert  Gemmill,  Joseph  Jordan 
and  Henry  Hammond  with  reference  to  difficulties  in  Centre 
Church.  These  papers  were  referred  to  a  committee  of  five 
consisting  of  William  Finny,  Alfred  Nevin  and  John  Wal- 
lace, Ministers;  and  Dr.  Cochran  and  John  Buchanan, 
Elders.  This  committee  reported  on  the  seventeenth  that 
there  was  great  difficulty  in  the  church,  but  as  there  were 
one  hundred  and  sixty  or  seventy  persons  in  favor  of  Mr. 
Parke  and  eleven  egainst  him  the  "  relation  should  by  no 
means  be  dissolved." 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  21 

At  Bellevue,  September  18,  1844,  a  paper  with  reference 
to  this  trouble  was  read  and  ruled  out  of  Presbytery.  A 
committee  consisting  of  John  McNair  and  John  Wallace, 
Ministers,  and  Elders  Whitehill,  Robinson  and  Clark  was 
appointed  to  meet  at  Centre,  October  29,  and  look  into  the 
difficulty.  There  is  no  record  of  any  report  from  this  com- 
mittee, but  at  a  meeting  of  Presbytery  in  Lancaster,  Septem- 
ber 16,  1845,  tne  whole  case  was  dismissed. 

At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery  held  in  Waynesburg,  October 
3,  1848,  a  communication  from  thirty  one  members  of  Cen- 
tre Church  and  another  from  five  of  its  Session  were  re- 
ceived praying  the  Presbytery  to  examine  into  the  affairs 
of  said  church.  On  the  fourth  of  October  a  committee  con- 
sisting of  five  ministers,  William  Finny,  T.  Marshall  Boggs, 
L.  C.  Rutter,  Roger  Owen  and  Solomon  McNair  and  three 
elders,  Mr.  Collins,  James  Penny  and  James  MaHaffy,  was 
appointed  to  investigate  the  matter  and  report  at  the  next 
meeting.  This  committee  reported  at  Leacock,  April  18, 
1849, that  three  of  its  number  had  visited  Centre  Church  on 
the  twenty-first  day  of  November,  1848.  They  met  the 
Pastor,  Session  and  many  of  the  members,  and  after  a  pro- 
tracted conference  recommend  that  Mr.  Parke  should  re- 
sign his  pastoral  charge  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Presby- 
tery; that  the  members  of  Session  should  cease  to  exercise 
their  office  and  that  the  Session  and  Mr.  Parke,  if  they 
think  proper,  be  candidates  for  reelection  at  a  time  to  be 
agreed  upon  hereafter.  Signed  by  Samuel  Parke,  J.  Payne, 
J.  Wiley,  J.  R.  Anderson,  William  Anderson,  J.  J.  Wiley. 

Mr.  Parke  anticipated  the  presentation  of  this  report  by 
calling  a  meeting  of  Presbytery  at  Columbia,  Tuesday,  De- 
cember 12,  1848,  for  the  purpose  of  dissolving  the  pastoral 
relation  between  himself  and  Centre  Church.  Mr.  William 
Amos  was  the  commissioner  to  represent  the  church.  The 
resignation  was  accepted  and  Mr.  Parke  was  directed  to 


2  2  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

preach  at  Centre,  Sabbath,  December  17,  and  declare  the 
pulpit  vacant. 

It  is  not  likely  that  the  members  of  Session  ceased  to  exer- 
cise their  office,  for  in  the  minutes  of  a  meeting  held  in  the 
following  January  all  their  names  reappear.  At  this  point 
begin  the  records  of  the  Session  of  Centre  Church. 

This  was  a  trying  time  in  the  history  of  Centre.  More 
than  a  score  of  members  dissatisfied  with  the  course  which 
led  to  the  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  relation  left  the  church 
and  in  1852  erected  a  frame  church  at  the  forks  of  the  road 
where  the  village  of  New  Park  now  stands.  In  this  building 
Mr.  Parke  for  some  years  held  services,  but,  Presbytery  re- 
fusing to  grant  an  organization,  after  his  decease  it  ceased  to 
be  used,  except  very  occasionally,  for  church  purposes,  and 
finally  was  sold  at  public  auction,  by  the  trustees  in  1882.  It 
has  since  been  moved  across  the  public  highway  and  con- 
verted into  a  dwelling.  It  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  John  H. 
Anderson. 

Rev.  Samuel  Parke  was  born  near  Parkesburg,  Chester 
County,  Pa.,  November  25,  1788.  He  was  the  son  of  Joseph 
Parke  and  Agnes  Maxwell.  He  was  graduated  at  Dickin- 
son College,  September,  1809.  In  college  he  was  a  class- 
mate of  James  Buchanan,  afterward  President  of  the  United 
States.  He  studied  theology  under  Rev.  Nathan  Grier,D.D., 
and  while  there  not  only  secured  instruction  in  theology, 
but  also  his  wife,  for  he  afterward  married  Martha  Grier, 
daughter  of  his  preceptor.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  New  Castle,  April  7,  18 13,  at  St.  Georges,  Dela- 
ware, after  submitting  the  following  trial  parts :  "  An 
Exegesis  "  at  Upper  Octoraro,  April  3,  181 1 ;  "  A  Homily  " 
on  Matt.  1:21,  at  Slate  Ridge,  September  26,  181 1;  "A 
Public  Exercise  "  at  Head  of  Christiana,  April  9,  18 12 ;  "  A 
Lecture  "  on  Matt.  13:  1-9,  in  the  Second  Church  of  Wil- 
mington, October  1,  1812,  and  "  A  Sermon  "  at  St.  Georges, 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  23 

Del.,  April  6,  1813,  from  John  5  :  40.  He  was  ordained  and 
installed  at  Slate  Ridge,  August  10,  18 14.  He  was  in- 
stalled at  Centre,  May  2,  1820.  He  resigned  his  charge 
at  Centre,  December  12,  1848,  having  been  pastor  here  for 
twenty  eight  years  and  seven  months.  After  his  resignation 
he  preached  occasionally  to  his  old  charge.  He  died,  De- 
cember 20,  1869,  in  his  eighty  second  year,  and  was  buried 
in  the  Cemetery  at  Slate  Ridge. 

Mr.  Parke  was  an  earnest  Christian,  a  man  of  very  deter- 
mined character.  No  weather  hindered  him  in  his  minis- 
terial work.  There  are  those  yet  living  who  remember  his 
faithfulness  to  his  engagements  with  Centre  congregation, 
and  especially  in  visiting  and  comforting  the  sick.  His  re- 
ligious convictions  began  when  a  child,  on  a  communion 
occasion,  when  his  father  and  mother  left  him  in  the  pew 
while  they  went  to  the  table.  He  was  so  affected  as  to  be 
scarcely  able  to  leave  the  pew.  His  last  words  were,  "  I 
have  tried  to  serve  God."  Robert  Parke,  Esq.,  a  son,  was 
an  elder  in  the  church  at  Slate  Ridge,  which  his  father 
served  for  forty  three  years.  Rev.  Nathaniel  Grier  Parke, 
D.D.,  for  fifty  years  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of 
Pittston,  Pa.,  and  recently  deceased,  was  another  son. 

The  Third  Building. 
The  opening  of  Mr.  Parke's  ministry  was  signalized  by 
the  erection  of  the  substantial  stone  building  in  which  this 
congregation  continued  to  worship  until  May,  1887.  This 
building,  42x46  feet,  and  with  a  12-foot  ceiling,  stood  a 
little  to  the  south  of  the  site  of  the  second.  It  was  erected 
in  1822  and  for  sixty  five  years  was  a  monument  of  the 
energy  of  the  pastor  and  of  the  liberality  and  progressive 
spirit  of  the  congregation  of  that  day.  What  trials  and 
what  privations  were  associated  with  the  erection  of  this 
building  we  shall  never  know.  Squire  Vincent  Norris  was 
the  contractor  for  the  building  and  he  took  the  contract  so 


24  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

low  that  he  could  not  complete  the  building  without  loss  to 
himself.  The  congregation  paid  him  an  additional  sum  to 
compensate  him  for  his  loss.  During  the  course  of  con- 
struction a  stone  fell  on  one  of  Mr.  Norris'  legs  and  broke 
it.  His  initials,  V.  N.,  were  cut  in  this  stone  and  it  placed 
in  the  wall.  When  the  old  church  was  removed  in  1887  this 
stone  was  carefully  preserved  and  placed  in  the  foundation 
of  the  new  church  building,  where  it  may  now  be  seen  in  the 
east  angle  of  the  Porte-Cochere  vestibule.  The  ceiling 
girders  of  this  building  were  hauled  from  Wrightsville  with 
eight-horse  teams,  and  they  were  so  long  that  at  angles  in 
the  road  fences  had  to  be  removed  in  order  that  the  turns 
could  be  made.  Mr.  Henry  Marsteller,  who  died  March  1, 
1 89 1,  was  the  last  of  our  members  who  witnessed  the  erec- 
tion of  this  building. 

The  Third  Pastor. 

After  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Parke  Centre  Church  was 
vacant  a  year  and  four  months.  The  representative  from 
the  Session  to  the  meeting  of  Presbytery  in  the  autumn  of 
1849  was  instructed  to  ask  for  supplies  for  one  third  of  the 
time  until  the  next  stated  meeting. 

At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery  held  in  Middle  Octoraro,  April 
17,  1850,  a  call  was  presented  by  Centre  Church  for  the 
pastoral  services  of  Rev.  Samuel  Hume  Smith  for  a  part  of 
his  time,  he  being  already  the  pastor  of  Hopewell  Church. 
It  was  resolved  that,  inasmuch  as  the  affairs  of  Centre 
Church  are  liable  to  be  brought  before  the  next  General 
Assembly  by  an  appeal  from  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  the 
call  of  said  church  now  before  Presbytery  be  therefore  laid 
on  the  table.  This  appeal  came  about  in  this  wise.  At  a 
meeting  of  Presbytery  held  in  New  Leacock,  April,  1849, 
a  communication  from  certain  members  of  Centre  Church 
was  presented,  being  a  complaint  against  the  Session  of  said 


REV.   SAMUEL   HUME  SMITH. 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  25 

church  and  Rev.  L.  C.  Rutter,  who  had  moderated  a  meet- 
ing in  Centre,  January  25,  1849.  The  Presbytery  did  not 
sustain  the  complaint.  This  decision  of  the  Presbytery  was 
appealed  from  to  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia  by  Zenas 
Hughes  and  Robert  Bartol.  Synod  sustained  the  Presby- 
tery and  these  men  appealed  to  the  General  Assembly. 

Pending  the  decision  of  the  appeal  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly Mr.  Smith  was  appointed  Stated  Supply  of  Centre  for 
six  months.  At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery  held  at  Bellevue, 
April  16,  185 1,  the  call  was  taken  from  the  table  and  placed 
in  Mr.  Smith's  hands.  At  a  meeting  held  in  Slateville,  May 
23,  1 85 1,  Mr.  Smith  accepted  the  call  and  his  installation 
was  ordered  for  June  21  at  10  A.  M.  This  service  took 
place  as  directed  and  in  it  Rev.  John  Farquhar  presided  and 
asked  the  constitutional  questions  and  delivered  the  charge 
to  the  pastor  and  Rev.  Thomas  M.  Crawford  delivered  the 
charge  to  the  people. 

Mr.  Smith  continued  the  pastor  of  this  church  and  minis- 
tered to  it  with  great  acceptance  for  five  years  and  eight 
months,  or  until  his  death,  which  occurred  February  4,  1857. 
At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery  held  in  Columbia,  Pa.,  April  15, 
1857,  Revs.  T.  M.  Crawford  and  J.  J.  Lane  and  Mr.  Alfred 
Armstrong,  a  committee  appointed  for  the  purpose,  reported 
the  following  resolutions  which  were  adopted : 

1.  That  it  is  with  heartfelt  sorrow  that  we  have  heard 
of  and  are  called  upon  to  record  the  death  of  our  beloved 
brother,  Rev.  Samuel  Hume  Smith. 

2.  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  Presbytery  it  has  lost  a 
member  wise  in  counsel,  discreet  in  conduct,  conciliatory  in 
spirit,  and  ingenuous  in  disposition ;  and  the  church  a  faith- 
ful, zealous,  conscientious  and  laborious  minister. 

3.  That  we  deeply  and  tenderly  sympathize  with  his  be- 
reaved flock  and  by  faith  and  prayer  commend  his  fatherless 
and  motherless  children  to  the  care  of  the  covenant  keeping 


26  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

God  who  has  said,  "  Leave  your  fatherless  and  motherless 
children  to  me,  I  will  preserve  them  alive." 

4.  That  the  Presbyterian,  Presbyterian  Banner  and  Advo- 
cate be  requested  to  publish  the  above  resolutions  and  that  a 
copy  of  the  same  be  presented  to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

Rev.  Samuel  Hume  Smith  was  born  in  Chanceford,  York 
County,  Pa.,  in  the  year  18 17.  He  went  to  school  to  Rev. 
Samuel  Martin,  D.D.  He  was  graduated  from  Jefferson 
College  in  1842  and  from  the  Western  Theological  Seminary 
in  1845.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Donegal  at  Bellevue,  September  18,  1844,  after  he 
had  preached  from  Rev.  5:1.  He  was  ordained  June  17, 
1845,  in  the  Hopewell  Church.  He  was  installed  at  Centre, 
June  21,  185 1,  and  died  February  4,  1857.  His  remains 
were  interred  in  the  Chanceford  Cemetery,  where  a  neat 
monument,  bearing  the  following  inscription,  was  erected 
to  his  memory : 

5.  Hume  Smith,  V.D.M.  Died  Feb.  4th  1857  in  the  40th 
year  of  his  age.     "  By  the  grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  am." 

Though  dead  for  over  forty  years  his  influence  is  yet 
powerful  for  good  and  the  savor  of  his  life  is  sweet  in  many 
homes.  The  affectionate  regard  in  which  he  was  held  by 
his  people  is  manifested  by  the  fact  that  in  almost  every 
house  in  the  congregation  his  picture  is  found  hanging  on 
the  wall. 

What  a  trio  of  ministers  this  church  had  in  George 
Luckey,  Samuel  Parke  and  Samuel  Hume  Smith,  and  their 
bodies  lie  one  at  Bethel,  one  at  Slate  Ridge  and  one  at 
Chanceford,  all  within  ten  miles  of  this  place.  Each  had 
but  one  pastorate  and  in  that  spent  his  whole  life.  This 
congregation  has  done  well  in  that  it  has  remembered  them 
all  in  a  memorial  window  in  the  new  church  edifice.  May 
this  brief  history  help  to  keep  their  memory  green ! 


history  of  centre  presbyterian  church.  27 

Supplies. 

In  the  summer  following  the  death  of  Rev.  Samuel  Hume 
Smith  an  eccentric  minister  by  the  name  of  Rev.  James  A. 
Devine  came  into  this  congregation  and  for  a  time  seems 
to  have  exercised  quite  an  influence  over  it.  He  figures  as 
the  Moderator  of  a  meeting  of  Session,  July  26,  1857,  at 
which  it  was  agreed  to  call  a  meeting  of  the  congregation  on 
the  ninth  of  August  for  the  purpose  of  electing  four  elders. 
This  meeting  was  held,  but  before  the  election  was  entered 
upon  it  was  resolved  by  the  Session  that  the  ordination  of 
those  who  might  be  elected  should  be  indefinitely  postponed. 
The  election  resulted  in  the  choice  of  John  Norris,  Benjamin 
Gemmill,  Thomas  Wiley  and  Sampson  Smith  Duncan.  A 
clause  in  the  record,  which  was  written  by  Mr.  Devine,  is  as 
follows :  "  Mr.  Duncan  alone  accepted  the  election  frankly 
and  in  the  expression  of  very  appropriate  sentiments  as  to 
his  duty  in  the  case.  His  name  is  therefore  recorded  as 
Elder-elect  in  this  church."  Mr.  Duncan  was  never  or- 
dained. 

At  a  congregational  meeting  held  sometime  in  the  summer 
of  1857  a  call  was  made  out  for  Rev.  James  A.  Devine,  but 
some  reports  reflecting  on  his  character  as  a  Christian  min- 
ister having  reached  the  congregation  a  meeting  was  called 
on  the  third  of  October,  1857,  to  take  further  action.  In 
the  minutes  of  this  meeting  we  find  the  following  record : 
"  Upon  the  voice  of  the  congregation  being  taken  it  was  de- 
termined not  to  ask  Presbytery  to  sanction  the  call  given 
to  Rev.  James  A.  Devine,  and  the  congregation  asks  Pres- 
bytery to  supply  the  pulpit  until  the  spring  meeting  of  the 
same."  At  this  meeting  of  the  congregation  Samuel  P. 
Wiley  was  elected  Treasurer  of  the  church. 

Mr.  Devine,  after  a  varied  experience  in  states  east  and 
west,  north  and  south,  was  honorably  retired  and  died  in 


28  HISTORY   OF   CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

Pittsburg,  Pa.,  April  12,  1891,  aged  eighty  two.  Just  at 
the  time  of  his  coming  among  you  Mr.  Calvin  W.  Stewart, 
a  licentiate,  now  the  Rev.  Calvin  W.  Stewart,  D.D.,  Finan- 
cial Agent  of  Whitworth  College,  Tacoma,  Washington, 
had  made  arrangements  to  preach  for  the  Centre  people,  and 
a  number  hoped  to  make  him  their  pastor.  As  it  was  he 
was  hindered  from  preaching  at  Centre  and  was  soon  called 
elsewhere. 

The  following  supplies  were  appointed  by  the  Presbytery 
and  preached  for  Centre  1857  and  1858:  Rev.  Watson 
Russel,  October  18;  Rev.  Joseph  D.  Smith,  November  11; 
Rev.  T.  M.  Crawford,  November  15;  Rev.  Mr.  McDonald, 
December  13;  Rev.  John  Farquhar,  December  27;  Rev. 
Watson  Russel,  January  10;  Rev.  Samuel  Parke,  January 
24;  Rev.  Walter  Powell,  February  14;  Rev.  T.  M.  Craw- 
ford, February  28;  Rev.  John  Farquhar,  March  14;  Rev. 
Samuel  Parke,  March  28 ;  Rev.  C.  W.  Stewart,  April  4. 

These  supplies  received  a  compensation  of  six  dollars  per 
Sabbath. 

The  Fourth  Pastor. 

There  is  no  record  of  supplies  for  the  summer  of  1858, 
but  as  a  call  was  presented  at  a  meeting  of  Presbytery  at 
Chanceford,  October  5,  1858,  for  the  pastoral  services  of 
Mr.  J.  Y.  Cowhick,  for  one  half  his  time,  it  is  likely  he  had 
been  occupying  the  pulpit. 

At  Bellevue,  April  12,  1859,  the  above  call  was  withdrawn 
and  one,  which  had  been  made  out  March  26,  for  one  fourth 
of  Mr.  Cowhick's  time,  was  presented  in  its  stead.  This  call 
proposed  that  Mr.  Cowhick  should  preach  at  Centre  every 
alternate  Sabbath  in  the  morning  and  he  was  to  receive  from 
Centre  $220  per  annum.  He  was  to  preach  at  Stewartstown 
in  the  afternoons  of  the  same  days  and  was  to  receive  from 
them  $130  per  annum.     The  other  one  half  of  his  time  was 


REV.  JOHN  YOUNG  COWHICK,    D.   D. 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  29 

to  be  given  to  the  Hopewell  Church.  Because  of  some  in- 
formality in  this  call  it  was  referred  back  to  the  congrega- 
tion. 

At  a  congregational  meeting  held  April  25,  1859,  a  new 
call  for  one  fourth  of  Mr.  Cowhick's  time  was  made  out,  the 
salary  named  being  $220  per  annum.  It  was  presented  to 
Presbytery  at  Hopewell,  May  6,  1859,  by  Mr.  Joseph  R. 
Anderson,  placed  in  Mr.  Cowhick's  hands  and  accepted  by 
him.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  install  him  at  Centre, 
June  10  at  1 1  A.  M.  At  that  time  a  very  large  congregation 
met  the  committee  of  Presbytery  and  Mr.  Cowhick  was  in- 
stalled. Rev.  John  Farquhar  presided,  asked  the  constitu- 
tional quetsions  and  delivered  the  charge  to  the  people. 
The  charge  to  the  pastor  was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Philip 
J.  Timlow. 

On  the  fourteenth  of  May  a  congregational  meeting  had 
been  held  and  Samuel  P.  Wiley,  Richard  McDonald,  John 
Johnson  and  James  C.  Jordan  elected  Elders.  For  some 
reason,  not  now  known,  another  election  was  held  on  the  day 
Mr.  Cowhich  was  installed  and  the  same  persons  were 
chosen.  On  the  following  day,  June  11,  1859,  these  per- 
sons were  ordained  as  Ruling  Elders  in  Centre  Church 
"  with  prayer  and  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  Session." 

Mr.  Samuel  P.  Wiley  was  already  the  Treasurer  of  the 
Church.  On  the  same  day  that  he  was  elected  Elder  he  was 
chosen  as  the  Superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  School  and  now 
he  was  made  Clerk  of  the  Session.  His  life,  as  a  church 
officer,  was  very  short,  for  he  died  on  the  fourteenth  of 
October,  1859.  On  the  twenty-seventh  of  November  the 
following  action  was  taken  by  the  Session : 

Whereas,  This  Session  has  experienced  a  sore  bereavement 
in  the  death  of  one  of  its  beloved  members,  Samuel  P.  Wiley, 
therefore, 


30  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

Resolved,  That  while  we  bow  with  humble  submission  to 
the  will  of  our  Heavenly  Father  we  would  leave  on  record  our 
deep  sense  of  sorrow  for  the  loss  we  have  sustained  as  a  Session 
and  as  brethren  laboring  in  the  same  great  cause  of  our  Lord 
and  Master  Jesus  Christ. 

Resolved,  That  we  bear  testimony  to  the  kind  and  gentle 
deportment  of  our  departed  brother  as  a  man,  to  his  earnest- 
ness, fidelity  and  success  as  Superintendent  of  the  Sabbath 
School,  and  to  the  humble  faith  and  zeal  manifested  in  his  life 
as  a  servant  of  the  living  God. 

Resolved,  That  his  wife  and  children  have  our  sympathy  and 
our  prayers  that  his  God  may  be  their  God. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  be  directed  to  make  a  record  of  the 
above  on  the  minutes  of  Session. 

John  Johnson,  J.  Y.  Cowhick, 

Clerk.  Moderator. 

On  the  seventeenth  of  October,  1859,  Jonn  Johnson  was 
elected  Treasurer  and  on  the  tenth  of  December  the  Session 
was  made  Financial  Committee  for  the  congregation.  On 
the  twenty-fifth  of  October,  i860,  Joseph  Strawbridge, 
Thomas  Wiley  and  Aquila  McDonald  were  elected  Deacons. 
Of  this  number  Aquila  McDonald  still  survives,  although 
for  more  than  a  score  of  years  the  office  has  not  been  exer- 
cised as  there  have  been  no  poor  needing  aid. 

In  the  summer  of  1861  some  repairs  were  made  to  the 
church  building.  A  new  slate  roof  was  put  on,  the  pews 
were  stained  and  varnished  and  the  pulpit  painted. 

The  Presbytery  of  Donegal  met  in  Centre  Church,  Oc- 
tober 6,  1863,  and  was  opened  with  a  sermon  by  Rev.  Robert 
Alexander  from  Ezek.  33 :  32.  (It  is  an  interesting  fact  to 
the  writer  of  this  history  that  he  owes  his  first  pronounced 
religious  impressions  to  a  sermon  preached  by  this  minister 
about  this  time.) 

There  were  present  at  this  meeting  of  Presbytery: 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  3 1 

Ministers.  Elders. 

Rev.  L.  C.  Rutter W.  W.  Watson,  Chestnut  Level. 

John  Farquhar. .  . .  John  Smith,  Chanceford. 

T.  M.  Crawford.  .James  Galbreath,  Slateville. 

J.  J.  Lane.  . S.  M.  Smith,  Wrightsville  and  Done- 
gal. 

C.  W.  Stewart.  . .  .  J.  L.  McCommon,  Union. 

J.  Y.  Cowhick ....  A.  C.  Manifold,  Hopewell,  Centre  and 
Stewartstown. 

J.  C.  Thorn J.  W.  Martin,  Waynesburg. 

Robert  Alexander.  James  Black,  Little  Britain. 

Joseph  D.  Smith.  .James  Anderson,  Slate  Ridge. 

J.  L.  Merrill John  A.  Murphy,  New  Harmony. 

R.  A.  Brown Herman  Snyder,  Pine  Grove. 

In  the  year  1866  Mr.  Cowhick's  salary  was  increased  to 
$250  per  annum. 

On  the  twenty-eighth  of  October,  1868,  John  A.  C.  Gailey, 
John  Marsteller,  Robert  K.  Robinson,  M.D.,  and  John  P. 
Cathcart  were  elected  Ruling  Elders  in  Centre  Church  and 
were  ordained  on  Sabbath  afternoon,  October  31. 

During  Mr.  Cowhick's  ministry,  in  the  year  1869,  the  re- 
union of  the  Old  and  the  New  school  branches  of  the  church 
took  place  and  the  name  and  bounds  of  the  Presbytery  were 
changed.  The  name  was  changed  from  Donegal  to  West- 
minster and  the  Presbytery  made  to  include  York,  Lancaster 
and  Lebanon  Counties. 

As  a  memorial  of  this  significant  event  in  the  history 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  the  Centre  congregation  spent 
the  sum  of  $725.00  in  improving  its  church  edifice.  A 
cornice  was  added  to  the  roof,  new  flues  erected,  inside 
blinds  added,  walls  inside  painted,  pulpit  and  pews  grained, 
a  new  chandelier  put  in  and  new  carpets  laid. 

On  the  twenty-first  of  July,  1872,  a  congregational  meet- 
ing was  held  at  which  a  call  was  made  out  for  the  whole  of 


32  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

Mr.  Cowhick's  time  and  James  C.  Jordan,  John  A.  C.  Gailey 
and  John  Marsteller  were  appointed  to  carry  the  matter  to 
Presbytery.  Before  the  Presbytery  convened  another  meet- 
ing of  the  congregation  was  held  and  a  call  made  out  for  one 
half  of  Mr.  Cowhick's  time  at  a  salary  of  $380  per  annum. 
This  meeting  was  held  on  the  fifteenth  of  September  and 
Mr.  Joseph  R.  Anderson  was  appointed  to  prosecute  the  call 
before  Presbytery.  This  call  being  sanctioned  by  the  Pres- 
bytery Mr.  Cowhick  resigned  his  charge  at  Hopewell  and 
devoted  his  whole  time  to  Centre  and  Stewartstown. 

On  the  twelfth  of  January,  1873,  the  "  Centre  Sunday 
School  Temperance  Society  "  was  organized.  This  society 
had  its  origin  on  the  fifth  of  January,  1872,  when  Mr.  John 
Marsteller,  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school,  appeared 
in  the  Sunday-school  with  the  following  pledge :  "  We  the 
undersigned  do  agree  that  we  will  not  use  intoxicating 
liquors  as  a  beverage  and  that  in  all  suitable  ways  and  means 
we  will  discountenance  their  use  by  others."  This  society 
grew  until  it  numbered  ninety  names  on  its  roll  and  the  very 
last  signer  to  this  pledge  is  one  who  is  now  a  minister  of  the 
gospel,  the  Rev.  Frank  T.  Wheeler,  pastor  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  at  Newville,  Pa.  This  society  continued  in  a 
flourishing  condition  until  the  close  of  Mr.  Cowhick's  pas- 
torate, when  it  ceased  to  exist.  The  influence  of  this  pledge 
is  still  felt  in  this  community,  as  there  are  those  who  have 
never  tasted  intoxicants  because  of  it. 

Mr.  Cowhick  resigned  his  charge  at  Centre  at  a  meeting 
of  Presbytery  held  at  Columbia,  June  14,  1875.  His  resig- 
nation was  accepted  and  he  was  directed  to  preach  on  the 
twenty-seventh  of  June  and  declare  the  pulpit  vacant,  which 
he  did.  On  the  twenty-eighth  of  September  Mr.  Cowhick 
was  dismissed  to  the  Presbytery  of  Colorado.  When  Mr. 
Cowhick  left  this  church  it  offered  him  a  larger  salary  than 
both  Centre  and  Stewartstown  were  then  paying  him,  but 


REV.  JOHNSTON    McGAUGHEY. 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  33 

he  had  committed  himself  to  the  Secretaries  of  the  Home 
Board  to  go  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming. 

Rev.  John  Young  Cowhick  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
October  17,  1824.  He  was  graduated  at  Allegheny  College 
in  185 1  and  from  Princeton  Seminary  in  1858.  He  was 
licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Columbus  in  May,  1858,  and 
ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Donegal  at  Hopewell,  May 
6,  1859,  and  installed  at  Centre,  June  10,  1859.  The  rela- 
tion was  dissolved  June  14,  1875,  and  Mr.  Cowhick  was 
pastor  here  for  sixteen  years. 

When  Mr.  Cowhick  came  to  Centre  there  were  forty  seven 
names  on  the  roll.  When  he  left  there  were  one  hundred 
and  fifteen.  During  his  ministry  there  were  added  on  ex- 
amination seventy  seven  and  on  certificate  twenty  two. 
There  were  raised  for  congregational  purposes  $5,818.00 
and  for  benevolence  $2,099.00,  total  $7,917.00.  While  Mr. 
Cowhick  was  pastor  four  Elders  were  removed  by  death, 
Samuel  P.  Wiley,  James  Wiley,  William  Anderson  and 
Joseph  R.  Anderson. 

Mr.  Cowhick  was  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Cheyenne  until  1882,  when  he  resigned  because  of  ill  health. 
He  received  the  degree  of  D.D.  in  1881.  He  died  June  18, 
1 89 1,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Cheyenne,  Wyom- 
ing. 

The  Fifth  Pastor. 

The  next  pastor  of  Centre  Church  was  the  Rev.  Johnston 
McGaughey.  At  a  congregational  meeting  held  July  11, 
1875,  ^  was  unanimously  agreed  to  invite  Mr.  McGaughey 
to  supply  the  pulpit  until  the  meeting  of  Presbytery  in  Oc- 
tober. His  services  proving  acceptable  to  the  congrega- 
tion a  call  for  one  half  his  time  at  a  salary  of  $380  per 
annum  was  made  out  and  presented  to  Presbytery  at  Centre, 
November  5,  1875.  Mr.  McGaughey  accepted  this  call  and 
was  installed  the  same  day,  the  following  persons  taking 


34  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

part  in  the  services:  Rev.  Thomas  M.  Crawford  presided 
and  asked  the  constitutional  questions.  Rev.  Robert  Gamble 
preached  the  sermon  from  Rev.  2:10.  Rev.  Thomas  M. 
Crawford  delivered  the  charge  to  the  pastor  and  the  Rev. 
Joseph  D.  Smith  the  charge  to  the  people. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  McGaughey  a  "  Ladies' 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  "  was  organized  and  held  its 
first  meeting  on  the  first  Saturday  of  October  of  that  year. 
This  society  continued  its  meetings  with  more  or  less  inter- 
est until  the  summer  of  1881  when  it  ceased  to  be. 

During  the  autumn  of  1878,  conditions  arising  which  de- 
manded a  temporary  relinquishment  of  his  work,  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  pastor  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Fentress,  of  the  Presby- 
tery of  Baltimore,  supplied  the  pulpit  of  Centre  Church  for 
three  months. 

At  a  special  meeting  of  Presbytery  held  in  the  Chanceford 
Church,  February  17,  1879,  Mr.  McGaughey  offered  his 
resignation  as  pastor  of  Centre  and  Stewartstown  and  it  was 
accepted.  The  Rev.  Robert  Gamble  was  directed  to  preach 
at  Centre,  Sabbath,  March  2,  and  declare  the  pulpit  vacant. 

Mr.  McGaughey  was  born  in  Armstrong  County,  Pa., 
January  20,  1836.  He  was  graduated  from  Princeton  Col- 
lege in  1 87 1  and  from  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  in 
1875.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Bruns- 
wick, April  14,  1875,  and  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Westminster,  November  4,  1875,  in  the  Stewartstown 
Church.  He  was  installed  at  Centre,  November  5,  1875, 
and  was  released  February  17,  1879.  He  was  pastor  at 
Centre  three  years  and  four  months. 

Mr.  McGaughey  was  a  tireless  worker  and  during  his 
short  pastorate  a  large  number  was  added  to  the  roll  of  the 
church  largely  the  result  of  the  remarkable  revival  of  1875 
and  1876,  when  the  congregation  was  thoroughly  aroused 
and  many  brought  to  Christ.     During  this  pastorate  there 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  35 

were  contributed  for  benevolent  purposes  $474  and  for  con- 
gregational $2,349.00,  making  a  total  of  $2,823.00.  Since 
his  resignation  here  Mr.  McGaughey  has  been  engaged  in 
ministerial  work  in  Wyoming,  New  Mexico  and  Iowa.  At 
this  time  he  is  the  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Russel,  Iowa. 

Separation  From   Stewartstown. 

As  we  have  already  seen  a  move  was  made  during  the 
summer  of  1872  looking  to  the  standing  alone  of  Centre 
in  the  pastoral  relation.  Now  that  the  pulpit  was  vacant 
this  question  came  to  the  front  again.  There  were  those 
who  felt  that  this  time  was  a  propitious  one  for  this  move- 
ment. There  were  others  who  felt  that  Centre  was  not  able 
to  stand  alone.  There  were  others  still  who  thought  it 
would  be  injurious  to  the  church  with  which  she  had  been 
associated  in  the  pastoral  relation  even  though  Centre  might 
be  able  to  stand  alone.  At  a  congregational  meeting  held 
March  31,  1879,  it  was  agreed  that  Centre  and  Stewarts- 
town  should  remain  as  before,  one  pastoral  charge,  but  on 
condition  that  the  next  pastor  should  reside  in  the  Centre 
congregation  and  that  the  Centre  people  should  have  the 
morning  service.  Mr.  James  C.  Jordan  and  Mr.  John 
Wiley  were  appointed  a  committee  to  meet  the  Stewarts- 
town  congregation  with  reference  to  this  matter,  Wednes- 
day, April  2,  at  three  o'clock  P.  M.  This  meeting  was  held 
and  a  satisfactory  arrangement  made. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Stewartstown  congregation  held 
April  6  the  action  of  the  meeting  held  April  2  was  recon- 
sidered and  the  Stewartstown  Church  decided  to  ask  leave 
of  Presbytery  to  separate  from  Centre  for  six  months  and 
test  their  ability  to  support  a  pastor.  Mr.  James  C.  Jordan 
happened  to  be  at  that  meeting.  Presbytery  was  to  meet 
the  next  day  and  what  was  to  be  done?   Centre  would  have 


36  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

no  representative  and  no  one  was  authorized  to  ask  anything 
for  her.  Mr.  Jordan  reported  to  the  Prayer  Meeting  at 
Centre  that  Sabbath  evening  what  had  been  done  and  a  con- 
gregational meeting  was  called  for  the  next  morning,  April 
7,  to  consider  what  action  should  be  taken.  Couriers  noti- 
fied the  congregation  Monday  morning  and  it  soon  assem- 
bled at  the  church.  It  was  evident  that  the  time  had  now 
come  for  a  separation  and  a  paper  was  adopted  asking  Pres- 
bytery "  to  dissolve  the  relation  between  Stewartstown  and 
Centre  and  to  allow  Centre  to  supply  its  own  pulpit  until 
it  might  call  a  pastor."  Mr.  James  C.  Jordan  was  appointed 
to  carry  the  matter  to  the  Presbytery  which  met  at  Mount 
Joy,  Pa.  He  appeared  there  on  Tuesday,  April  8,  and  on 
the  following  forenoon  Presbytery  granted  the  request  and 
dissolved  the  relation. 

The  Sixth  Pastor. 

In  the  meantime,  about  the  middle  of  March,  R.  L.  Clark, 
a  licentiate  of  Westminster  Presbytery,  in  accordance  with  a 
request  of  Rev.  T.  M.  Crawford,  D.D.,  Moderator  of  the 
Centre  Church  Session,  had  agreed  to  preach  at  Centre  and 
Stewartstown,  April  13  and  20.  He  preached  for  both  the 
churches  on  those  dates.  Afterward  at  Centre  alone  until 
the  first  of  June,  when  a  test  vote  revealed  the  fact  that  he 
was  the  choice  of  the  congregation  for  pastor.  On  the  six- 
teenth of  June  a  congregational  meeting  was  held  and  a 
formal  call  made  out  for  the  whole  of  his  time  at  a  salary 
of  $720  per  annum  payable  semi-annually.  This  call  also 
granted  him  a  vacation  of  four  weeks  in  each  year.  It  was 
held  under  advisement  until  the  sixth  of  July  when  it  was 
accepted. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  of  Westminster  held  in 
Centre  Church,  September  16,  1879,  R-  L.  Clark  was 
ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry  and  installed  as  pastor  of 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  37 

this  church.  In  this  service  the  Rev.  Joseph  D.  Smith  pre- 
sided, offered  the  ordaining  prayer  and  asked  the  constitu- 
tional questions.  Rev.  C.  W.  Stewart,  D.D.,  preached  the 
sermon  from  Ps.  87 :  1-2.  Rev.  John  M.  Galbreath  de- 
livered the  charge  to  the  pastor  and  Rev.  Robert  Gamble  the 
charge  to  the  people. 

At  the  same  meeting  at  which  it  was  determined  to  ask 
a  separation  from  Stewartstown  it  was  decided  to  relieve  the 
Session  of  the  care  of  the  secular  affairs  of  the  church,  and 
accordingly  a  Board  of  Trustees  was  chosen  consisting  of 
John  H.  Anderson,  John  B.  Gemmill  and  John  Wiley. 

On  the  eleventh  of  December,  1879,  the  Session  decided  to 
hold  monthly  meetings  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  the  month, 
these  meetings  being  for  devotion  and  the  transaction  of 
business.  The  wisdom  of  this  course  has  been  abundantly 
manifested.     July  22,  1899,  the  day  was  changed  to  Friday. 

During  the  winter  of  1879-80  the  question  of  a  Manse 
began  to  press  itself  upon  the  congregation.  No  suitable 
house  seemed  to  be  available  and  when  at  last  the  pastor 
had  found  a  house  in  which  he  thought  he  could  live,  the  one 
now  owned  by  Henry  Turner  Brown,  he  mentioned  the 
matter  to  one  of  his  parishioners,  Mr.  Joseph  Irwin.  Mr. 
Irwin  said,  "  You  shall  never  live  in  that  house,"  and 
immediately  betook  himself  to  the  home  of  Mr.  John  H. 
Anderson,  where  the  matter  was  further  considered.  From 
that  conference  grew  the  Manse. 

A  meeting  of  the  congregation  was  held  January  23,  1880, 
at  which  it  was  decided  to  purchase  two  acres  of  land  from 
Strawbridge  Bros,  for  $225,  and  Mr.  John  H.  Anderson, 
John  B.  Gemmill  and  John  Wiley  were  appointed  a  build- 
ing committee  with  power  "  to  solicit  subscriptions,  purchase 
land  and  build  a  parsonage."  At  the  suggestion  of  Mr. 
John  B.  Gemmill  the  subscription  was  at  once  opened  and 
the  sum  of  $725  was  subscribed  at  that  meeting.     Ground 


38  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

was  broken  for  the  building  February  19,  1880,  and  on  the 
sixteenth  of  November  following  the  pastor  and  his  famliy 
took  possession  of  the  completed  Manse. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  congregation  held  December  9,  1880, 
the  building  committee  made  its  report  and  turned  over  the 
building  to  the  Board  of  Trustees.  The  entire  cost  of  the 
Manse  property  was  $3,447.61  and  on  the  sixth  of  April, 

1 88 1,  the  last  dollar  of  indebtedness  was  cancelled. 

A  large  and  enthusiastic  Sabbath  School  Convention  was 
held  in  Centre  Church,  June  16  and  17,  1881.  This  con- 
vention was  conducted  by  Rev.  James  A.  Worden,  D.D., 
Superintendent  of  Sabbath  School  Work  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  prominent  ministers  of  our  own  and  Chester 
Presbyteries  took  part  in  the  exercises. 

On  the  eighth  of  June,  1881,  the  Session  decided  to  organ- 
ize a  choir  and  at  once  proceeded  to  do  so.  On  the  twenty- 
sixth  of  March,  1882,  the  congregation  agreed  to  purchase 
an  organ  for  use  in  the  Sabbath  School.  This  was  done 
and  about  the  first  of  June  it  was  placed  in  the  church. 
Miss  S.  Florence  Wiley  was  chosen  as  organist  April  4, 

1882,  and  held  the  position  until  her  death,  October  22, 
1890.  It  was  but  a  short  time  after  the  organ  was  intro- 
duced into  the  Sabbath  School  until  it  was  used  in  the 
church  services  as  well. 

In  this  year,  1882,  April  16,  the  "  weekly  envelope  system 
of  offerings  "  was  adopted  for  "  church  support."  The 
Board  of  Trustees  was  enlarged  from  three  to  five  members, 
May  8,  1882. 

On  the  ninth  of  October  a  congregational  meeting  was 
held  for  the  purpose  of  electing  three  additional  elders.  The 
election  resulted  in  the  choice  of  Reed  W.  Anderson,  John 
F.  Derail  and  John  C.  Wiley.  These  brethren  were 
solemnly  ordained  and  inducted  into  their  office  on  the  fifth 
of  November,  the  services  being  conducted  by  the  pastor. 


HISTORY   OF   CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  39 

During  this  year  the  "  Hall  Home  Mission  Band  "  was 
organized  and  still  continues  in  active  service  in  the  great 
cause  it  has  espoused. 

On  the  eighteenth  of  March,  1883,  action  of  the  congre- 
gation was  taken  making  the  pastor's  salary  payable 
monthly  on  the  first  Monday  of  the  month. 

May  21  a  charter  for  Centre  Church  was  secured  and  the 
congregation  became  a  corporate  body. 

On  the  thirteenth  of  June  the  envelope  system  of  offerings 
was  introduced  into  the  Sabbath  School. 

At  a  congregational  meeting  held  May  5,  1884,  tne  by- 
laws of  the  church  were  adopted  and  an  addition  of  $100  per 
annum  made  to  the  pastor's  salary. 

November  22,  1885,  the  following  notice  was  read  from 
the  pulpit :  "  All  the  ladies  of  the  congregation  in  favor  of 
organizing  a  Ladies'  Foreign  Missionary  Society  are  re- 
quested to  meet  with  Mrs.  Clark  in  the  Parsonage,  Thanks- 
giving Day  after  service." 

In  accordance  with  this  notice  the  ladies  met  at  the  time 
and  place  mentioned,  and  on  November  26  the  Society  was 
organized  with  Mrs.  A.  Letitia  Clark  as  President,  Mrs. 
Agnes  M.  Gailey  Vice-President,  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Irwin  Secre- 
tary and  Mrs.  John  C.  Wiley  Treasurer.  This  society  has 
done  a  good  work  in  the  cause  of  missions. 

The  Fourth  Building. 
In  the  autumn  of  1882  overtures  were  made  to  the  pastor 
of  Centre  by  a  church  in  a  neighboring  Presbytery  looking 
to  his  removal  to  that  church  and  involving  a  considerable 
advance  in  salary.  The  pastor  was  compelled  to  give  this 
matter  consideration,  and  feeling  that  the  success  of  his 
work  at  Centre  depended  very  largely  upon  material 
changes  in  the  church  building  involving  a  considerable  out- 
lay of  money  he  was  not  willing  to  reject  the  offer  unless  he 


40  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

had  some  assurance  that  the  congregation  would,  after  the 
lapse  of  a  reasonable  time,  make  the  needed  expenditures. 
Accordingly  he  made  sketches  of  a  suitable  addition  to  the 
old  building  and  a  new  building,  and  invited  Mr.  John  A. 
C.  Gailey  to  meet  him  on  a  certain  night  in  January,  1883, 
at  Mr.  Reed  W.  Anderson's  for  a  conference.  There  by 
Mr.  Anderson  and  Mr.  Gailey  the  overtures  to  the  pastor 
were  discussed,  as  also  his  plans  for  the  development  of 
Centre  Church,  including  the  sketches  of  the  remodelled  and 
the  new  building.  Finally  Mr.  Gailey  remarked  that  he 
believed  "  if  Mr.  Clark  would  be  patient  the  congregation 
would  meet  all  reasonable  demands."  To  be  patient  with  a 
needed  increase  in  salary  in  view  and  decline  it  was  not  so 
easy.  However,  on  that  January  night  it  was  settled  that 
the  pastor  would  remain  at  Centre  and  that  we  would  work 
for  the  larger  building. 

On  the  seventh  of  May,  1883,  a  joint  meeting  of  the 
Session  and  Board  of  Trustees  was  held  in  the  church  to 
consider  what  could  be  done,  if  anything,  towards  furnish- 
ing pews  to  those  desiring  them.  As  we  entered  the  church 
by  the  door  next  the  Cemetery  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  Mr.  Robert  S.  McDonald,  said  with  his  Scotch 
positiveness :  "  I  tell  you  boys  what  we  have  got  to  do 
pretty  soon.  We  have  got  to  knock  out  that  end  wall."  A 
member  of  the  Session,  Mr.  James  C.  Jordan,  spoke  up  and 
said :  "  Knock  the  end  out  none.  Tear  the  whole  thing 
down."  "  What,"  said  the  first  speaker,  "  tear  down  these 
good  walls!  Oh,  no!"  The  pastor  stood  by  an  attentive 
listener  and  noticed  the  working  of  the  leaven.  It  was  less 
than  three  years  before  his  friend  who  would  not  hear  of 
tearing  down  the  walls  gave  him  a  subscription  of  $400  for 
the  new  building. 

On  the  ninth  of  August,  1883,  the  Session  set  apart  one 
half  the  offerings  of  the  Sabbath  School  toward  a  building 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  41 

fund.  The  step  was  a  wise  one  and  now  that  the  building 
has  been  secured  the  offerings  still  maintain  the  high  stand- 
ard then  attained. 

On  the  twenty-fourth  of  September,  1883,  the  pastor  of 
Centre  and  Elder  John  C.  Wiley  went  together,  by  car- 
riage, to  Presbytery.  The  elder  did  not  hear  much  but 
"  new  church  "  on  that  journey  and  before  the  journey  was 
over  the  pastor  thought  he  saw  $500  for  a  new  building. 

The  first  formal  action  in  the  matter  was  taken  in  1885, 
resulting  in  the  adoption  of  the  following  paper  by  the  Ses- 
sion August  5,  and  by  the  Session,  Board  of  Trustees  and 
Manse  Building  Committee,  sitting  in  conference  in  the 
choir  chairs  in  the  old  church,  September  17: 

Whereas,  Our  church  building  is  too  small  to  accommodate 
with  comfort  our  present  membership  and  therefore  affords  no 
room  for  growth,  and 

Whereas,  It  is  entirely  inadequate  for  the  proper  carrying 
on  of  the  Sabbath  School  work,  therefore, 

Resolved,  First,  That,  in  the  unanimous  opinion  of  this  body, 
the  best  interests  of  our  church  and  the  growth  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Christ  in  our  midst  demand  that  immediate  steps  be  taken 
looking  to  the  securing  of  more  ample  accommodations  for 
church  and  Sabbath  School  services. 

Resolved,  Second,  That  it  is  the  unanimous  belief  of  this 
body  that  the  best  and  most  expedient  step  in  the  matter  is  the 
erection  of  a  new  church  building,  suitable  in  size  and  arrange- 
ment for  church  and  Sabbath  School  purposes,  provided  all  the 
funds  necessary  to  complete  the  building  be  raised  before  the 
work  be  begun  and,  if  possible,  that  this  building  be  erected 
and  ready  for  use  by  September  1,  1887. 

In  the  year  1885  the  services  of  the  pastor  of  Centre  were 
again  sought  for  in  another  field.  During  the  meeting  of 
the  Synod  of  Pennsylvania  in  Bellefonte,  in  October  of  that 
year,  a  minister  of  our  Presbytery,  Rev.  J.  M.  Galbreath, 


42  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

knowing  of  the  above  fact,  said  to  an  Elder  of  this  church, 
Mr.  Reed  W.  Anderson,  who  was  a  member  of  that  Synod : 
"  I  will  tell  you  what  you  can  do  that  will  tend  to  keep  your 
pastor  with  you."  "  What  is  that  ?"  said  the  Elder.  "  Build 
a  new  church,"  was  the  reply.  "  I  know  it  and  I  have  a 
thousand  dollars  to  spend,  but  what  it  shall  be  done  "  said 
the  Elder.  The  pastor  was  not  at  that  meeting-  of  Synod, 
but  he  soon  afterward  heard  of  the  above  conversation  and 
concluded  the  time  was  ripe  for  building.  Accordingly  a 
congregational  meeting  was  called  for  January  21, 1886,  and 
the  paper  prepared  by  the  Session  August  5  was  adopted. 
The  pastor  was  appointed  a  committee  to  solicit  subscrip- 
tions, Reed  W.  Anderson,  Chairman,  John  Wiley  and  James 
R.  Wiley  were  appointed  a  Building  Committee  and  John 
H.  Anderson  made  Treasurer  of  the  building  fund.  A 
drawing  of  a  new  church  building  made  by  Architect  J.  A. 
Dempwolf,  York,  Pa.,  and  which  hung  on  the  wall  during 
this  meeting  had  an  important  influence  on  the  question  of 
a  new  church.  There  were  present  at  this  meeting  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  John  H.  Anderson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  W.  Anderson, 
Reed  W.  Anderson,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  R.  L.  Clark,  Lettie  Belle 
Clark,  James  A.  Dalton,  John  F.  DeRan,  John  B.  Gemmill, 
John  S.  Gemmill,  Samuel  G.  Irwin,  James  C.  Jordan,  J. 
Mitchel  Jordan,  J.  Thomas  Gailey,  John  Marsteller,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Aquila  McDonald,  John  R.  McElwain,  John  S. 
McElwain,  Joseph  B.  Tyrrell,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Wiley, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  C.  Wiley  of  this  congregation  and  Mr. 
James  Fulton  of  Stewartstown. 

The  first  subscription  was  taken  January  25,  1886,  and 
this  part  of  the  work  was  completed  April  23,  on  which  the 
pastor  reported  to  the  congregation  subscriptions  amounting 
to  $10,516.  At  this  meeting  the  site  for  the  building  was 
selected  and  the  Building  Committee  instructed  to  employ 
J.  A.  Dempwolf,  York,  Pa.,  Architect. 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  43 

August  17,  1886,  Mr.  J.  A.  Dempwolf  and  Mr.  B.  F. 
Willis,  Architects,  with  Reed  W.  Anderson,  John  Wiley, 
James  R.  Wiley  and  R.  L.  Clark  met  on  the  ground  and 
staked  off  the  new  church  building. 

On  Monday,  August  30,  1886,  ground  for  the  new  build- 
ing was  broken  by  Reed  W.  Anderson,  John  H.  Anderson 
and  John  Sliver. 

On  the  twenty-seventh  of  January,  1887,  the  contract  for 
the  building  without  furnishings  was  awarded  to  Mr.  N. 
Weigle,  York,  Pa.,  for  $8,285.  Two  days  after,  in  York, 
Pa.,  the  contract  was  signed  by  Mr.  Weigle  and  the  Building 
Committee. 

April  5,  1887,  the  pastor  was  added  to  the  Building  Com- 
mittee as  advisory  member.  This  position  he  resigned  on 
the  fifteenth  of  the  following  October. 

The  last  service  in  the  old  church  was  held  May  15,  1887. 
The  next  day  the  demolition  of  the  old  church  was  begun 
as  was  also  work  on  the  new. 

The  corner  stone  was  laid  on  the  ninth  of  June,  1887,  with 
appropriate  ceremonies.  The  following  was  the  order  of 
exercises : 

Scripture  reading.    Job  38:4-7;   Ps.   118:19-23;   Is.  28:16-17;   Matt. 

21 :  42 ;  1  Pet.  2 :  5-8 ;  Eph.  2 :  19-22. 

Prayer.  Rev.  A.  T.  Fox,  Stewartstown,  Pa. 

Brief  History  of  the  Church.  Rev.  R.  L.  Clark. 

Filling   the  box. — Bible.     Religious    and    secular   papers.     Coins. 

Soldering  the  box  and  placing  it  in  the  stone. 

Benediction.  Rev.  R.  L.  Clark. 

In  the  laying  of  this  corner  stone  the  trowel  was  handled 
by  Mr.  Charles  Shrodes,  who  had  helped  build  the  former 
church  erected  in  1822. 

The  new  church  was  completed  March  27,  1888,  at  a  cost 
of  $14,881.45  and  was  dedicated,  free  of  debt,  April  25, 
1888.     The  following  was  the  order  of  exercises: 


44  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

Anthem.  Choir. 

Invocation.  Rev.  T.  L.  Springer. 

Hymn  846.  Rev.  D.  M.  Davenport. 

Reading  of  Scripture.  Rev.  C.  W.  Stewart,  D.D. 

Prayer.  Rev.  T.  M.  Crawford,  D.D. 

Hymn  523.  Rev.  A.  T.  Fox. 
Sermon,  Heb.  3:6.    "  Whose  house  are  we."    Rev.  I.  N.  Rendal,  D.D. 

Anthem.  Choir. 

Report  of  Building  Committee.  Reed  W.  Anderson. 

Dedication  and  prayer.  Pastor. 

Hymn  954.  Pastor. 

Addresses.    Rev.    A.   B.   Cross,  Rev.   D.    M.   Davenport,   Rev.   J.    M. 

Galbreath,  Rev.  J.  M.  Yingling,  Rev.  A.  B.  Hooven  and  Rev.  J.  S. 

Bowers. 

Hymn  569.  Rev.  C.  W.  Stewart,  D.D. 

Benediction.  Rev.  I.  N.  Rendall,  D.D. 

The  largely  increased  cost  of  the  completed  building 
over  the  original  estimate  ($10,000)  was  incurred  by 
changes  ordered  by  the  congregation.  Stone  was  used  in 
the  construction  of  the  walls  instead  of  brick.  Brown- 
stone  sills  were  placed  in  windows  and  doors  instead  of 
wood  and  a  brown-stone  coping  added  to  buttresses  and 
gables.  A  steam-heat  plant  was  installed  instead  of  hot- 
air,  and  elaborate  stained  instead  of  plain  colored  glass  was 
used  in  the  windows. 

During  the  erection  of  the  new  church  building  the  regu- 
lar services  were  maintained.  From  the  twenty-first  of 
May  until  the  eleventh  of  September,  1887,  services  were 
held  in  the  grove  by  the  spring,  the  pulpit  and  pews  from  the 
old  church  having  been  arranged  there  for  that  purpose. 
From  September  18,  1887,  unt^  April  22,  1888,  services 
were  held  in  the  New  Park  School  House. 

On  the  first  of  July,  1888,  the  pastor  informed  the  congre- 
gation that  he  had  received  a  call  from  the  Central  Park 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago,  111.,  which  call  he  felt  he 
ought  to  accept.  The  following  day  he  was  stricken  down 
with  pneumonia  and  by  reason  of  this  both  pastor  and  people 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  45 

had  more  ample  time  for  the  consideration  of  so  important 
a  matter.  Nothing  was  done  until  the  twenty-first  of  July, 
when  the  Session  convened,  and  called  a  meeting  of  the  con- 
gregation for  July  28,  "  To  consider  and  take  whatever 
action  may  be  deemed  best  with  reference  to  the  proposed 
dissolution  of  the  pastoral  relation  of  Rev.  R.  L.  Clark  and 
this  church." 

When  the  congregation  met  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  July 
the  Session  and  the  Board  of  Trustees  recommended  that  the 
pastor  be  retained  if  possible  and  that  his  salary  be  increased 
to  $1,020  per  annum.  The  congregation  unanimously 
adopted  the  recommendations  and  voted  the  increase  of 
salary  to  date  from  the  previous  May. 

The  pastor  considered  the  invitation  to  Chicago  as  opening 
up  to  him  a  larger  field  of  usefulness  and  one  which  had 
strong  attractions  for  him.  It  came  unsought.  It  was  a 
new  field.  It  offered  an  increase  of  salary  for  which  he  had 
begun  to  feel  the  need.  It  solved  the  question  of  the  educa- 
tion of  his  children  which  had  become  a  pressing  problem. 
It  came  at  a  time  most  favorable  for  a  change  to  both  pastor 
and  people  when  the  church  was  in  the  best  possible  condi- 
tion to  secure  the  services  of  a  new  pastor,  it  being  entirely 
harmonious  and  having  just  entered  its  new  house  of  wor- 
ship upon  which  there  was  not  a  dollar  of  debt. 

On  the  other  hand  here  were  the  associations  of  years. 
Here  was  a  people  always  loyal  and  now  quietly  protesting 
against  the  breaking  of  these  associations.  Here  was  a 
generous  appreciation  of  the  pastor's  services  in  the  promised 
increase  in  salary  and  here  was  the  pastor  just  escaping  from 
dangerous  disease.  These  and  other  considerations  which 
might  be  mentioned  led  him  to  decide  to  remain. 

On  the  fifth  of  July,  1888,  Centre  Church  lost  one  of  its 
Elders,  Richard  McDonald,  by  death.  On  the  twenty-first 
of  July  the  Session  ordered  the  following  record  to  be  made : 


46  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

Whereas,  Since  our  last  regular  meeting  the  Session  has 
been  called  upon  to  record  the  death  of  one  of  its  members, 
Richard  McDonald,  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  while  deeply  mourning  the  loss  of  our 
brother,  who  labored  actively  in  the  Eldership  for  twenty  five 
years,  we  yet  bow  in  humble  submission  to  the  will  of  Him  that 
doeth  all  things  well. 

Resolved,  That  we  here  gladly  testify  to  the  quiet  walk  and 
Christian  conduct  of  our  departed  brother,  and  of  our  confi- 
dence that  though  absent  from  the  body  he  is  present  with  the 
Lord. 

Resolved,  That  we,  the  living,  do  find  in  this  providence  of 
God  an  incentive  to  greater  diligence  and  earnestness  in  the 
work  the  Master  has  given  us  to  do. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  is  hereby  directed  to  spread  the 
above  on  the  minutes  of  the  Session. 

On  Monday,  the  seventeenth  of  September,  1888,  the 
Presbytery  of  Westminster  met  in  Centre  Church  and  con- 
tinued in  session  during  Tuesday  and  a  part  of  Wednesday. 
At  the  Monday  evening  meeting  Mr.  Robert  Reed  Gailey,  a 
son  of  Elder  J.  A.  C.  Gailey,  was  taken  under  the  care  of 
the  Presbytery  as  a  candidate  for  the  gospel  ministry. 

The  following  were  the  officers :  Moderator,  Rev.  Edson 
A.  Lowe;  Stated  Clerk,  Rev.  W.  G.  Cairnes;  Permanent 
Clerk,  Rev.  R.  L.  Clark. 

From  the  fourth  of  November,  1888,  until  the  first  Sab- 
bath of  May,  1889,  the  pastor  was  absent  from  his  field  of 
labor  because  of  continued  ill-health.  During  this  time  he 
kept  his  pulpit  supplied. 

On  the  thirtieth  of  April,  1889,  the  congregation  assem- 
bled in  the  Lecture  Room  of  the  church  and  celebrated  the 
one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  inauguration  of  General 
George  Washington  as  the  first  President  of  the  United 
States.  As  a  call  to  service  the  church  bell  was  tolled  one 
hundred  strokes.     A  goodly  number  of  the  congregation 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  47 

assembled  and  engaged  in  a  service  of  prayer  and  praise  in 
the  course  of  which  the  pastor  delivered  an  appropriate 
address.  Here  we  not  only  celebrated  this  event  but  also 
the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  first  General  Assem- 
bly of  our  church  and  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
building  of  the  -first  church  on  these  grounds. 

With  the  first  Sabbath  in  May,  1890,  the  envelope  system 
was  introduced  as  the  method  of  gathering  the  offerings  of 
the  congregation  for  benevolent  purposes  as  well  as  for 
church  support. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  June,  1890,  the  Centre  Temper- 
ance League  was  organized  and  began  its  work  with  sixty 
five  members.  After  thirteen  years  of  service  it  still  main- 
tains a  vigorous  existence  and  has  contributed  a  large  sum 
to  temperance  work. 

In  the  summer  of  1890  a  full  set  of  roller  maps  was  added 
to  the  equipment  of  the  Sabbath  School  department. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  October,  1890,  the  Fiftieth  Anni- 
versary of  the  organization  of  Centre  Sabbath  School  was 
observed.  The  following  were  the  committee  of  arrange- 
ments :  Rev.  R.  L.  Clark,  Mr.  Reed  W.  Anderson  and  Mr. 
John  A.  C.  Gailey.     The  program  was  as  follows : 

PROGRAMME. 

Morning  Session — 10 :30-i2 :3c 

Anthem.  Choir. 

Scripture  Lesson  and  Prayer. 

Hymn. 

Historical  Sketch.  Rev.  R.  L.  Clark. 

Hymn. 

Address,  "  The  Development  of  the  True  Idea  of  the  Sunday-school." 

Rev.  C.  W.  Stewart,  D.D. 
Hymn. 
Address,    "  Concentration   or  Division    of    Effort,    the    Church    or   the 
Neighborhood  School."  Rev.  T.  L.  Springer. 

Hymn. 
Address,  "  Advantages  of  the  International  System  of  Lessons." 

Rev.  K.  J.  Stewart. 
Hymn. 


48  HISTORY   OF   CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

Afternoon  Session — i  '.30-3 :3c 

Hymn. 

Prayer. 
Address  to  the  Children.  Rev.  J.  M.  Galbreath. 

Hymn. 
Address  to  the  Children.  Rev.  R.  J.  Rankin. 

Hymn. 
Address,  "  Music  in  the  Sunday-school,  its  Development  and  Mission." 

Rev.  Samuel  Polk. 

Hymn. 
Address,  "  Temperance  in  the  Sunday-school."    Rev.  Robert  Gamble. 
Anthem,  "  Temperance."  Choir. 

Evening  Session — 7 :30-o.  :oo. 
Anthem.  Choir. 

Prayer. 
Address,  "  The  Sunday-school  Teacher  of  To-day,  What  is  his  Mission 
and  what  is  Necessary  to  his  Efficiency."  J.  G.  McSparran. 

Hymn. 
Address,  "  The  Proper  Use  of  the  Lesson  Help."        Rev.  G.  L.  Smith. 

Hymn. 
Benediction. 

Of  those  who  were  members  of  the  Sabbath  School  at  its 
organization  five  are  now  members  of  Centre  Church,  viz., 
John  Marsteller,  Aquila  McDonald,  Agnes  M.  Gailey,  Sarah 
J.  Groh  and  Rachel  A.  Keims. 

In  the  fall  of  1890  two  ladies  of  the  congregation,  Mrs. 
Reed  W.  Anderson  and  Mrs.  John  H.  Anderson,  canvassed 
the  congregation  and  secured  the  sum  of  $469.61  with  which 
they  placed  in  the  Manse  a  complete  combined  steam  and 
hot-water  heating  plant. 

On  the  ninth  of  June,  1891,  the  following  paper  was 
unanimously  adopted  by  the  Session  and  on  the  fourteenth 
by  the  Board  of  Trustees  also  unanimously : 

Whereas,  It  is  rapidly  becoming  the  rule  among  our  people 
to  hold  funeral  services  in  the  house  of  God  rather  than  in  the 
home,  which,  in  the  mind  of  the  Session,  is  reversing  the  order 
which  should  prevail  in  this  matter,  and 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  49 

Whereas,  There  is  a  growing  tendency  on  the  part  of  the 
people  of  the  world  to  remove  the  marks  of  distinction  between 
the  church  and  the  world  by  multiplying  religious  services  at 
the  funerals  of  those  who  have  lived  Godless  lives  and  by  using 
the  house  of  God  on  such  occasions,  and, 

Whereas,  Orders  and  organizations,  not  distinctively  Chris- 
tian, are  seeking  the  use  of  our  churches  for  the  holding  of 
funeral  services  peculiar  to  the  respective  orders  and  organiza- 
tions, which  services,  while  they  may  be  with  propriety  held 
elsewhere,  cannot  be  in  the  house  dedicated  to  the  service  of 
Almighty  God ;  therefore, 

Resolved,  First,  That  we  urge  upon  all  the  families  of  our 
church  and  congregation  the  propriety  of  holding  funeral  ser- 
vices, as  far  as  may  be  practicable,  in  the  home. 

Resolved,  Second,  That  we  deem  it  inexpedient  to  grant  the 
use  of  our  church  building  for  funeral  services  in  the  case  of 
those  who  are  not  themselves  members  of  Centre  Church,  or  in 
whose  immediate  family  there  are  not  those  who  are  members 
of  said  church,  and  that  the  church  bell  shall  not  toll  the  death 
of  any  one  not  a  member  of  this  church. 

Resolved,  Third,  That  no  secret  order  of  any  kind  shall  be 
permitted  to  hold  services  of  any  kind,  funeral  or  otherwise,  in 
this  house  of  God. 

Resolved,  Fourth,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  fur- 
nished the  Sexton  and  that  he  be  enjoined,  as  far  as  his  respon- 
sibility extends,  to  see  that  they  are  carried  out. 

In  the  summer  of  1893  a  self-constituted  committee  con- 
sisting of  James  C.  Jordan,  John  C.  Wiley  and  John  Mars- 
teller  raised  about  seven  hundred  dollars  and  made  quite  an 
addition  to  the  Manse,  adding  a  kitchen,  bath-room  and  bed- 
room and  in  addition  painting  and  papering  the  Manse 
proper. 

In  the  year  1894,  on  New  Year's  Day,  the  Pastor  and  his 
wife,  together  with  the  Elders  and  their  wives,  instituted  a 
reception  at  the  Manse.     Eighty  one  members  of  the  congre- 


50  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

gation  enjoyed  this  occasion.  In  1895  this  was  repeated 
when  there  were  137  present,  and  again  in  1901  when  there 
were  155  present. 

In  May,  1894,  the  Elders  joined  with  the  Trustees  in 
making  the  annual  canvass  for  subscriptions,  the  Elder  look- 
ing after  benevolent  and  the  Trustee  after  church-support 
subscriptions.  This  plan  has  been  continued  with  great 
advantage. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1894,  the  Presbytery  of  West- 
minster met  in  Centre  Church  and  the  following  were  the 
officers :  Moderator,  Rev.  A.  L.  Hyde ;  ji>tated  Clerk,  Rev. 
W.  G.  Cairnes ;  Permanent  Clerk,  Rev.  R.  L.  Clark. 

October  6,  1894,  the  pastor  of  Centre  Church  was  called 
to  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Argyle,  111.  After  long  con- 
sideration he  decided  that  he  would  remain  at  Centre. 

The  Junior  Westminster  League  of  Christian  Endeavor 
was  organized  in  February,  1895,  with  Miss  E.  May  Allen 
as  Superintendent.  Under  her  and  her  successors  in  this 
work,  Rev.  R.  L.  Clark,  Mr.  Reed  W.  Anderson  and  Miss 
Annie  M.  Anderson,  it  has  continued  to  be  a  valuable  adjunct 
in  church  work. 

January  4,  1891,  the  Westminster  League,  a  society  for 
Christian  development  and  work  among  the  young,  was 
organized.  This  organization  was,  on  the  fifth  of  May, 
1895,  changed  into  a  Christian  Endeavor  Society  under  the 
name  "  Westminster  League  of  Christian  Endeavor."  It 
continues  to  occupy  an  important  place  in  church  work. 

January  1,  1896,  the  congregational  prayer  meeting  and 
the  Christian  Endeavor  Prayer  Meeting  were  consolidated 
and  the  time  of  service  fixed  at  one  hour. 

In  September,  1896,  the  Session  adopted  the  use  of  un- 
fermented  wine  in  the  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  February,  1898,  a  meeting  of  West- 
minster Presbytery  was  held  in  Centre  Church  at  which 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 


51 


Mr.  Robert  Reed  Gailey  was  ordained  to  the  Gospel  Min- 
istry.    In  the  evening  a  "  Farewell  Service  "  was  held. 

PROGRAM. 
Ordination  Service — 10:30  A.  M. 


Rev. 
Anthem. 
Invocation. 
Hymn  645. 
Scripture  Reading. 
Prayer. 
Hymn  644. 
Sermon. 

{Constitutional  Questions 
Prayer. 
Charge. 
Anthem. 
Benediction. 


T.  Jeifers,  D.D.,  Moderator. 

Choir. 

Rev.  John  B.  Rendall. 

Congregation. 

Rev.  William  G.  Cairnes. 

Rev.  Robert  H.  Kirk. 

Congregation. 

Rev.  John  B.  Rendall. 

Rev.  E.  T.  Jeffers,  D.D. 

Rev.  R.  Lorenzo  Clark. 

Rev.  E.  T.  Jeffers,  D.D. 

Choir. 

Rev.  Robert  R.  Gailey. 


Rev.  T.  M.  Crawford,  D.D. 


PROGRAM. 

Farewell  Service: — 7:30  P.  M. 

Rev.  R.  L.  Clark,  Pastor,  Presiding. 
Anthem.  Choir. 

Invocation.  Pastor. 

Hymn,  "  The  Morning  Light  is  Breaking."  Congregation. 

Scripture  Reading.  ) 
Prayer.  j 

Hymn,  "  Hark !    The  Voice  of  Jesus  Calling."  Congregation. 

Address,  "  The  Missionary  Work  of  the  Church — Its  Divine  Appoint- 
ment and  Commanding  Obligation."  Rev.  H.  E.  Niles,  D.D. 
Address,  "  The  Student  Volunteer."  Mr.  Samuel  Martin  Jordan. 
Duet.  Rev.  and  Mrs.  R.  R.  Gailey. 
Address,  "The  Educated  Missionary."  Rev.  Robert  H.  Kirk. 
Address,  "  Woman  a  Factor  in  Missions."  Rev.  E.  T.  Jeffers. 
Hymn,  "Roll  on,  Thou  Mighty  Ocean."  Congregation. 

f  Rev.  R.  L.  Clark. 
1  Rev.  Robert  R.  Gailey. 
Rev.  H.  E.  Niles,  D.D. 
Speed  Away,  On  your  Mission  of  Light."      Gailey  Family. 


Farewell   words. 

Prayer. 
Quartet, 


Benediction. 


Rev.  Robert  R.  Gailey. 


Mr.  Gailey  went  as  a  missionary  to  Tien-Tsin,  China, 
where  he  yet  remains. 


52 


HISTORY   OF   CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 


On  the  thirtieth  of  August,  1898,  Mr.  Samuel  Martin 
Jordan  was  ordained  to  the  Gospel  Ministry  in  Centre 
Church  by  a  committee  of  Westminster  Presbytery  and  in 
the  evening  a  "  Farewell  Service  "  was  given  him. 


PROGRAM. 

Ordination  Service — 10:30  A.  M. 

Rev.  T.  P.  McKee,  Moderator  of  Presbytery,  Presiding. 


Anthem. 
Hymn  586. 


Invocation. 
Scripture  Reading  and  Prayer. 


Choir. 
Congregation. 


Hymn  584. 
Sermon. 

{Constitutional  Questions. 
Prayer. 
Charge. 
Hymn  630. 
Benediction. 


Congregation. 

Rev.  James  Drummond. 

Rev.  T.  P.  McKee. 

Rev.  E.  T.  Jeffers,  D.D. 

Rev.  R.  L.  Clark. 

Congregation. 

Rev.  S.  M.  Jordan. 


PROGRAM. 
Farewell  Service— 7:30  P.  M. 


Rev.  R.  L.  Clark,  Pastor,  Presiding 
Anthem. 
Invocation. 
Hymn  651. 
Scripture  Reading  and  Prayer. 


Choir. 

Pastor. 

Congregation. 

Rev.  James  Drummond. 


Hymn  644.  Congregation. 

Address,  "  A  Century  of  Missionary  Conquest."    Rev.  J.  M.  Galbreath. 
Address,  "  The  other  side  of  the  Ledger."  Rev.  E.  T.  Jeffers,  D.D. 

Hymn,  "  Go  Ye  Into  All  the  World."  Choir. 

Address,  "Instead  of  the  Fathers  shall  be  the  Children." 

Rev.  G.  Wells  Ely. 
Hymn,  "Departing  Missionaries."  Congregation. 

Farewell  Words.  I  Rev"  R-  L-  Clark" 

(.  Rev.  S.  M.  Jordan. 

Prayer.  REV.  G.  Wells  Ely. 

Quartet,  "Ye  Christian  Heralds."  Choir. 

Benediction.  Moderator. 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  S3 

Departing  Missionaries. 

Roll  on,  thou  mighty  ocean;  O  thou  eternal  Ruler, 

And  let  thy  billows  flow,  Who  holdest  in  thine  arm 

That  messengers  of  mercy  The  tempest  of  the  ocean, 

To  Persia's  land  may  go.  Protect  them  from  all  harm ! 

Arise,  ye  gales,  and  waft  them  Thy  presence,  Lord,  be  with  them, 

Safe  to  the  destined  shore;  Wherever  they  may  be; 

That  man  may  sit  in  darkness,  Though  far  from  us,  who  love  them, 

And  death's  black  shade  no  more.       Still  let  them  be  with  Thee. 

Mr.  Jordan  went  to  Teheran,  Persia,  where  he  labors  as  a 
foreign  missionary. 

March  21,  1899,  the  church  year  was  changed  so  as  to 
correspond  with  the  Presbyterial  year  and  now  begins  with 
the  month  of  April. 

In  the  spring  of  1899  the  Trustees,  by  direction  of  the  con- 
gregation, purchased  from  Strawbridge  Brothers  a  piece  of 
land  in  front  of  the  church,  a  part  of  the  same  to  be  used 
for  burial  purposes  and  the  remainder  as  a  park  for  trees  and 
flowers. 

In  May,  1899,  the  "  Home  Department  "  of  the  Sabbath 
School  was  organized  and  is  now  an  established  branch  of 
church  work,  having  a  membership  of  over  seventy. 

In  the  month  of  December,  1899,  tenth  to  seventeenth, 
Rev.  R.  A.  Walton,  an  evangelist,  held  services  in  Centre 
Church.  The  attendance  on  these  services  was  large,  the  in- 
terest was  great  and  a  number  were  brought  to  Christ. 

May  6,  1901,  John  H.  Anderson,  John  C.  Wiley  and 
Charles  W.  Gailey  were  appointed  a  committee  to  look  after 
the  erection  of  carriage  sheds  on  the  church  grounds.  They 
succeeded  in  placing  fourteen  during  that  year. 

In  May,  1902,  the  "  Graded  System  "  of  study  was  intro- 
duced in  the  Sabbath  School. 

Close  of  the  Sixth  Pastorate. 
On  the  seventeenth  of  March,  1903,  the  Bethany  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Lancaster,  Pa.,  extended  a  unanimous  call 


54  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

to  Rev.  R.  L.  Clark  to  become  its  pastor.  On  the  twentieth 
of  the  month  he  brought  the  matter  before  his  Session  and 
meetings  were  held,  with  reference  to  it,  Friday  April  3,  at 
the  church  and  Monday,  April  6,  at  Mr.  J.  A.  Gailey's  at 
New  Park. 

April  12,  twenty  four  years  from  the  day  the  pastor  first 
appeared  before  the  congregation,  Rev.  R.  L.  Clark  presented 
his  resignation  and  it  was  accepted,  the  congregation  adopt- 
ing the  following  paper : 

Resolved,  First,  That  the  Centre  congregation  wishes  to  go 
on  record  as  bearing  unqualified  testimony  to  the  devoted  and 
untiring  energy  and  faithfulness  of  Rev.  R.  L.  Clark  as  Pastor 
of  our  church. 

Resolved,  Second,  That  we  regret  that  the  time  has  come 
when  the  ties  which  have  bound  us  together  as  Pastor  and 
people  for  the  long  period  of  twenty  four  years  are  possibly 
about  to  be  severed.  We  greatly  appreciate  and  thankfully 
acknowledge  his  many  acts  of  loving  devotion  to  us  as  a  people. 

Resolved,  Third,  That  our  prayers  shall  follow  him  wherever 
God  may  lead  him  and  we  earnestly  hope  that  he  may  be  greatly 
blessed  in  his  work,  winning  souls  to  Christ  and  building  up  and 
comforting  God's  children. 

Resolved,  Fourth,  That  our  representative  be  instructed  to 
read  the  above  resolutions  to  the  Presbytery. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  of  Westminster,  held  at 
Mount  Joy,  Pa.,  April  14,  the  pastor  presented  his  resigna- 
tion to  Presbytery  and  it  was  accepted. 

On  the  thirty-first  of  May  the  pastor  preached  his  last  ser- 
mon at  Centre  and,  by  direction  of  Presbytery,  declared  the 
pulpit  vacant. 

Rev.  R.  L.  Clark  was  born  near  Chestnut  Level,  Pa.,  July 
22,  1849.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  the  farm.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  his  home  district  and  afterward 
the  Academy  at  Chestnut  Level,  Pa.,  and  the  Normal  Insti- 


HISTORY   OF   CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  55 

tute  at  Phoenixville,  Pa.,  where  he  was  prepared  for  college. 
He  entered  Lafayette  College,  Easton,  Pa.,  November  17, 
1870,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  July  1,  1874.  During 
the  year  1874- 1875  he  taught  school  in  the  Treemount  Semi- 
nary, Norristown,  Pa.  He  entered  the  Western  Theological 
Seminary,  at  Allegheny  City,  Pa.,  September  7,  1875.  He 
was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  Presbytery  of  West- 
minster, April  11,  1877,  and  was  graduated  from  the  West- 
ern Theological  Seminary,  April  18,  1878.  During  the  sum- 
mer of  1878  he  served  the  churches  of  LeClaire  and  Prince- 
ton, Iowa.  April  13,  1879,  ne  ^rst  appeared  before  the 
congregation  at  Centre.  On  the  sixteenth  of  June  he  was 
unanimously  chosen  pastor  and  this  call  being  accepted  he 
was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry,  in  Centre  Church, 
September  16,  1879,  and  duly  installed  pastor  of  the  same. 

With  the  inauguration  of  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  R.  L. 
Clark  the  Session  assumed  entire  control  of  the  Sunday- 
school,  electing  its  officers,  providing  for  its  support  from  the 
church  treasury  and  appropriating  all  its  offerings  to  the 
mission  work  of  the  church. 

During  this  pastorate  there  was  never  a  blank  in  the  col- 
umns representing  contributions  to  the  Mission  Boards  of 
the  church,  both  church  and  Sabbath  School  contributing 
to  every  cause.  During  this  time  the  sum  of  $3,548  was 
contributed  by  the  Sabbath  School,  for  missions,  as  follows : 

1879 $  10  1891  $  141 

1880 15  1892  155 

1881  26  1893 158 

1882 29  1894 175 

1883 69  1895 202 

1884  96  1896 208 

1885 94  1897 243 

1886 97  1898 239 

1887 57  1899 251 

1888 76  1900 297 


162      1901  291 

1890 167      1902 290 

First  twelve  years $898      Second  twelve  years $2,650 

Total  offering  from  Sabbath  School,  $3,548. 


56  HISTORY    OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

During  these  twenty  four  years  the  following  offering  was 
made  to  benevolent  work : 

Home  Missions $3,148      Synodical  Aid $     895 

Foreign  Missions 3,622      Aid  for  Colleges 551 

Education 517      American  Bib.   Soc 88 

Publication    914      Temperance  354 

Church  Erection 1,056      American  Tract   Soc 6 

Ministerial  Relief 530      Miscellaneous 1,462 

Freedmen  771  $13,914 

The  total  offerings  of  Centre  Church  for  the  twenty  four 
years,  1879-1903  were  as  follows: 

Congregational  $50,497 

General  Assembly 576 

Benevolence 13,914 

$64,987 

During  this  pastorate  God  has  been  pleased  to  bless  the 
congregation  with  many  gracious  outpourings  of  His  Spirit : 
In  1880,  when  14  were  added  to  the  church;  in  1882,  when 
1 1  were  added ;  in  1883,  when  17  were  added  ;  in  1885,  when 
44  were  added ;  in  1886,  when  12  were  added ;  in  1889,  when 
34  were  added ;  in  1891,  when  1 1  were  added ;  in  1893,  when 
14  were  added ;  in  1894,  when  24  were  added ;  in  1895,  when 
28  were  added ;  in  1897,  when  10  were  added ;  in  1899,  when 
46  were  added,  and  in  1902,  when  five  were  added. 

There  were  141  members  in  good  standing  in  1879. 
There  were  received  from  that  time  until  April,  1903,  on 
examination  303  and  on  certificate  50.  In  April,  1903,  there 
were  325  members  in  good  standing  as  reported  to  Presby- 
tery. 

Pastor-Elect. 

On  the  seventh  of  June  Rev.  F.  B.  Everitt,  of  Stockton, 
N.  J.,  supplied  the  pulpit  at  Centre.  He  preached  for  the 
people  also  on  the  fourteenth  and  the  twenty-eighth  of  June. 
At  a  congregational  meeting  held  July  12,  1903,  he  was 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  57 

unanimously  chosen  pastor  at  a  salary  of  $1,020.  This  call 
has  been  accepted. 

Rev.  Frank  Bateman  Everitt  was  born  at  Stroudsburg, 
Monroe  County,  Pa.,  March  8,  1866.  He  was  prepared  for 
college  at  Jamesburg,  N.  J.,  Preparatory  School.  In  1886 
he  was  graduated  from  Princeton  College.  He  taught 
classics  and  music  in  Jamesburg,  N.  J.,  1886  and  1887,  and 
was  graduated  from  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  in 
1890. 

May  9,  1890,  Mr.  Everitt  was  ordained,  as  a  missionary, 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Monmouth,  in  his  father's  church  at 
Jamesburg,  N.  J. 

From  June,  1890,  to  August,  1891,  he  labored  under  the 
Home  Mission  Board  in  the  Fourth  Presbyterian  Church, 
Kansas  City,  Mo. 

From  1 89 1  to  1901  he  was  with  the  East  Trenton  Presby- 
terian Chapel,  a  mission  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
pf  Trenton,  N.  J.,  Rev.  John  Dixon,  D.D.,  Pastor.  This 
grew  from  a  small  chapel  into  a  self-supporting  church  of 
345  members,  in  1899,  when  Mr.  Everitt  was  installed  its 
first  pastor. 

From  1 90 1  to  1903  he  was  in  charge  of  the  Young  Peo- 
ple's Association  Work  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian 
Church  of  New  York  City,  Rev.  George  T.  Purves,  D.D., 

Pastor. 

Presbyterial  Honors. 

James  C.  Jordan,  an  elder  of  Centre  Church,  represented 
his  Presbytery  in  the  General  Assembly  which  met  in  Peoria, 
111.,  in  the  year  1863. 

John  A.  C.  Gailey,  an  elder  of  Centre  Church,  represented 
his  Presbytery  in  the  General  Assembly  which  met  in  Sara- 
toga,  N.   Y.,  in  the  year   1883. 

Reed  W.  Anderson,  an  elder  of  Centre  Church,  repre- 
sented his  Presbytery  in  the  General  Assembly  which  met  in 
Winona,  Ind.,  in  the  year  1898. 


58  history  of  centre  presbyterian  church. 

Sons  of  Centre  in  the  Ministry. 

Rev.  Jacob  Weast  Lanius  was  a  child  of  Centre.  He 
was  brought  up  by  his  grandparents,  Edward  and  Catherine 
Lanius,  where  his  parents  placed  him  when  they  emigrated 
to  the  West.  In  1857  he  studied  under  Rev.  Samuel  Hume 
Smith.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  entered  Muskingum  Col- 
lege, Ohio,  where  he  graduated  in  1851.  He  also  graduated 
from  Jefferson  College  in  1852.  He  entered  the  Western 
Theological  Seminary  1852  and  continued  there  one  year, 
after  which  he  studied  under  Rev.  Jonathan  Edwards,  D.D., 
and  was  licensed  and  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Fort 
Wayne  in  1854.  He  labored  in  Amite,  La.,  until  1856,  in 
Waveland  Church,  Ohio,  until  1858,  and  in  Nashville,  Tenn., 
in  missionary  work,  until  his  death,  August  9,  1859.  His 
wife  was  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Gordon,  an  elder  in  the 
Hopewell  Church. 

Rev.  Alexander  Galbreath  Payne,  son  of  Benjamin  Payne, 
was  also  a  child  of  Centre.  About  1840  his  parents  moved 
from  the  old  homestead,  where  Corban  Taylor  now  lives,  to 
Owensboro,  Ky.  Soon  after  they  went  to  Rockport,  Ind. 
Alexander  entered  the  Presbyterian  ministry  in  1859.  His 
name  appears  in  our  Minutes  until  1861,  when  it  is  likely 
he  went  into  the  Southern  Church.  He  and  his  brother 
John  are  said  to  have  both  been  engaged  in  the  Civil  War, 
one  in  the  Union  and  the  other  in  the  Confederate  army. 

Rev.  James  L.  Wilson,  although  not  strictly  a  child  of 
Centre,  is  yet  worthy  of  a  record  here.  He  was  born  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  John  Henry  Payne,  Esq.  Mr.  Wilson's 
parents  were  often  at  Centre  as  Hopewell  had  preaching  but 
a  part  of  the  time.  He  attended  the  Sabbath  School  at  Cen- 
tre because,  as  he  told  the  writer,  at  that  early  day  there 
was  none  at  Hopewell.  While  he  was  in  the  Sabbath  School 
Benjamin  Payne,  father  of  Rev.  Alexander  Payne,  was  his 
teacher,  and  John  Payne,  famous  as  a  singer,  and  Joseph  R. 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  59 

Anderson  were  superintendents.  His  class  consisted  of  Wil- 
liam Hammond,  William  Duncan,  the  Strawbridge  Bros., 
John  and  Alexander  Payne,  James  Scott,  Jacob  W.  Lanius, 
the  McDonald  Bros.,  the  Gemmill  Bros,  and  John  Marsteller. 
Mr.  Wilson  studied  under  Rev.  Samuel  Hume  Smith  in 
1857.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  entered  Muskingum  Col- 
lege, Ohio,  where  he  continued  until  1850.  He  graduated 
from  Jefferson  College  in  1851,  and  from  the  Western 
Theological  Seminary  in  1854.  He  was  licensed  by  Donegal 
Presbytery  at  Wrightsville,  Pa.,  June,  1853,  and  ordained  at 
Jefferson,  Ind.,  by  Crawfordsville  Presbytery,  January, 
1855.  He  was  pastor  at  Scotch  Grove,  Iowa,  1856  to  1873 ; 
Linn  Grove  and  Springville,  1873  to  x878;  Scotch  Grove 
and  Centre  Junction,  1878  to  1885,  when  he  went  to  Florida 
for  his  health.  Since  that  time  he  has  passed  to  his  reward. 
It  is  a  little  remarkable  that  these  three  were  all  members  of 
Centre  Sabbath  School  at  the  same  time. 

Rev.  Benjamin  McKee  Gemmill,  a  child  of  this  church 
and  one  of  fourteen  gathered  in  in  the  revival  of  1880,  was 
taken  under  the  care  of  Westminster  Presbytery,  September, 
1883.  He  was  graduated  with  honor  from  Lafayette  Col- 
lege in  1889  and  from  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  in 
1892.  In  1894  he  was  called  to  the  church  at  Cresson,  Pa., 
where  he  still  remains.  He  is  Stated  Clerk  of  the  Presby- 
tery of  Blairsville  and  Permanent  Clerk  of  the  Synod  of 
Pennsylvania. 

Rev.  Robert  Reed  Gailey,  a  child  of  this  church  and  one 
of  eleven  gathered  in  in  the  revival  of  1882,  was  taken  un- 
der the  care  of  Westminster  Presbytery,  September  17, 1888. 
He  was  graduated  with  honor  from  the  York  Collegiate  In- 
stitute in  1890,  from  Lafayette  College,  1893,  and  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  in  1896.  He  was  licensed 
at  York  Pa.,  April  9,  1895.  Supplied  the  Mt.  Nebo  Church, 
Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  during  summer  of   1895  and  the 


60  HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

church  at  Riverton,  N.  J.,  during  summer  of  1896.  He 
was  at  Princeton  University  1 896-1 897  as  General  Secre- 
tary of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  He  was  married  June  22,  1897, 
to  Miss  Clara  Lavinia  Laurence.  In  1897  was  the  Travel- 
ing Secretary  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement,  visiting 
sixty  regularly  scheduled  colleges  and  traveling  about  13,000 
miles.  He  was  ordained  February  15,  1898,  and  since  that 
time  has  been  working  under  the  "  Foreign  Committee  of 
the  International  Committee  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  of  North  America  "  at  Tien-Tsin,  China. 

Rev.  Samuel  Martin  Jordan,  a  child  of  this  church  and  one 
of  thirty-four  gathered  in  in  the  revival  of  1889,  was  taken 
under  the  care  of  the  Presbytery  of  Westminster,  at  a  meet- 
ing held  at  Pequea,  September  6,  1892.  He  was  grad- 
uated from  Lafayette  College  in  June,  1895,  and  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  May  10,  1898.  Was 
licensed  at  York,  Pa.,  April  13,  1897.  During  the  summer 
of  1895  ne  was  a  missionary  for  the  Pennsylvania  Bible  So- 
ciety in  Bradford  County,  Pa.  During  the  summer  of  1896 
he  had  charge  of  the  Clove  Church,  Sussex  County,  N.  J., 
and  in  summer  of  1897  of  Mt.  Nebo  Church,  Lancaster 
County,  Pa.  He  was  ordained  August  30,  1898,  and  since 
that  time  has  been  working  as  a  Foreign  Missionary  at 
Teheran,  Persia.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  each  of  these 
three  young  men  bears  the  name  of  a  minister,  all  were 
members  of  Centre  Sabbath  School  at  the  same  time  and  all 
were  brought  into  the  church  during  special  revival  services. 

Incidentals. 

The  first  infant  baptized  in  the  old  stone  church  was 
William  Wiley,  and  it  is  said  to  have  been  done  before  the 
completion  of  the  building,  the  congregation  standing  in 
shavings. 

The  last  infant  baptized  in  the  old  stone  church  was  John 
Calvin  Gemmill. 


HISTORY   OF   CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH.  6 1 

The  first  infant  baptized  in  the  new  church  was  Anna 
Laetitia  Clark.  She  was  baptized  by  Rev.  C.  W.  Stewart, 
D.D.,  and  for  the  first  time  the  new  bowl  was  used. 

The  last  child  baptized  by  Rev.  R.  L.  Clark  at  Centre  was 
Mary  Gailey. 

Conclusion. 

Centre  Church  has  not  been  given  to  short  pastorates  and 
thus  her  foundations  have  been  laid  deep  and  broad.  The 
church  has  been  in  a  settled  condition.  The  pastor  lays  his 
plans  for  training  as  though  he  expected  to  gather  the  fruit 
of  his  labors  and  thus  pastor  and  church  are  blessed. 

For  whatever  of  prosperity  this  church  has  enjoyed,  dur- 
ing the  twenty  four  years  in  which  the  writer  was  privi- 
leged to  minister  to  it,  it  owes  it,  under  God,  to  a  hearty  sup- 
port of  the  minister  on  the  part  of  all.  The  people  have  been 
responsive  to  calls  as  they  have  come.  The  Trustees  have 
conducted  the  secular  affairs  in  a  business-like  way.  The 
Session,  as  guardians  of  her  spiritual  interests,  have  always 
stood  with  the  minister. 

For  twenty  four  years  the  writer  was  privileged  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  you,  to  lead  you  to  the  Lord's  table,  to  baptize 
your  children,  to  join  some  of  you  in  life's  dearest  and  ten- 
derest  relation,  to  mingle  with  you  in  your  homes  in  joy  and 
in  sorrow  and  to  bury  your  dead.  The  scenes  that  are  dear 
to  you  are  dear  to  him  and  the  Cemetery,  "  Sleeping  place," 
where  your  loved  ones  lie,  holds  the  ashes  of  those  dear  to 
him  in  its  embrace.  The  best  years  of  his  life  have  been 
given  to  the  service  of  God  in  your  midst.  There  his  chil- 
dren have  been  born  and  your  world  is  all  they  have  known. 

Such  is  the  past.  What  of  the  future?  God  holds  the  key 
and  will  unlock  it  day  by  day.  Enough  for  us  that  we  be 
ready  to  accept  the  revelation  as  it  comes  and  labor  so  as  to 
be  worthy  successors  of  those  who  have  gone  before. 


62  history  of  centre  presbyterian  church. 

Officers  of  the  Congregation. 

Pastor-Elect. 
Rev.  Frank  Bateman  Everitt. 

Ruling  Elders. 
J.  A.  C.  Gailey,  Clerk.  John  C.  Wiley,  Treasurer. 

John  Marsteller.  Will  S.  Allen. 

Reed  W.  Anderson.  Joseph  A.  Gailey. 

Robert  B.  McElwain. 

Deacons. 
Aquila  McDonald. 

Trustees. 
Robt.  S.  McDonald,  President.  John  M.  Brown,  Secretary. 
John  H.  Anderson.  John  E.  Stansbury,  Treasurer. 

J.  Mitchel  Jordan. 

President  of  the  Congregation. 
Charles  W.  Gailey. 

Secretary  of  the  Congregation. 
Aquila  M.  Strawbridge. 

Treasurer  of  the  Congregation. 
Joseph  A.  Gailey. 

Sexton. 
Amos  Harman. 


Choristers. 
Mr.  John  A.  C.  Gailey  was  Chorister  from   1862  to  1896 
and  Mr.  Joseph  A.  Gailey,  his  son,  has  been  Chorister  since 
1896. 


history  of  centre  presbyterian  church.  63 

Officers  of  the  Sabbath  School. 

Superintendent,  Joseph  A.  Gailey. 

Associate  Superintendent,  Robert  B.  McElwain. 

Recording  Secretary,  William  G.  Howett. 

Financial  Secretary,  C.  Bayles  Bartol. 

Treasurer,  John  C.  Wiley. 

Primary  Department. 

Superintendent,  Miss  Nellie  B.  Wiley. 

Associate  Superintendent,  Miss  Nora  B.  Anderson. 

Junior  Department. 
Superintendent,  Miss  Annie  M.  Anderson. 

Home  Department. 
Superintendent,  William  G.  Howett. 

S.  S.  Superintendents. 

1840-1857,  John    Payne,    Joseph    R.    Anderson,    M.    Wiley 
Hughes,  James  Slaughter,  Buell  J.  Smith. 

1858,  Robert  B.  Gemmill. 

1859,  Samuel  P.  Wiley. 
1860-1861,  John  Johnson. 

1862,  James  Clark. 

1863,  John  Johnson. 

1864,  Reed  W.  Anderson. 

1865,  Robert  Gailey. 
1866-1868,  John  A.  C.  Gailey. 
1 869-1 87 1,  John  Marsteller. 
1872,  John  S.  McElwain. 
1873-1875,  Reed  W.  Anderson. 
1876-1877,  John  A.  C.  Gailey. 
1878-1882,  John  B.  Gemmill. 
1883-1898,  Reed  W.  Anderson. 
1 899- 1 90 1,  Joseph  A.  Gailey. 
1902-1903,  Rev.  R.  L.  Clark. 
I9°3)  Joseph  A.  Gailey. 


64 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 


Riding  Elders. 


Names.                        Elected. 

Ordained. 

Died  or  Dismissed. 

Age. 

John  Payne 

Mar.  28,  1818 

50 

Robert  Anderson 

Samuel  Brooks 

Robert  Watson 

James  Duncan 

Feb.  16,  1843 

74 

Joseph  V.  Bosley 

Dec.  4,  1846 

68 

Andrew  Anderson 

June  7,  1849 

85 

William  Gemmill 

Dec.  5,  1849 

79 

James  Wiley 

Oct.  5,  i860 

81 

John  J.  Wiley,  Esq. 

Feb.  27,  1857 

47 

William  Anderson 

Sep.  8,  1862 

57 

John  Payne  ( ceased  to  act  July  26,  ] 

857) 

Mar.  21,  1872 

69 

Joseph  R.  Anderson 

July  28,  1873 

70 

Samuel  P.  Wiley         May  14,  1859 

June  II,  1859 

Oct.  14,  1859 

38 

John  Johnson                     "          " 

It                   (t 

Stewartstown,  1862 

Richard  McDonald           "          " 

(<              <( 

July  5,  1888 

72 

James  C.  Jordan                "          " 

<<            (< 

May  II,  1895 

63 

John  A.  C.  Gailey      Oct.  31,  1868 

Nov.  1,  1868 

John  Marsteller                 "          " 

(«           <t 

R.K.Robinson.M.D.        " 

<«           << 

Baltimore  2,  1880 

John  P.  Cathcart               "          " 

<<           << 

Bethel,  Md.,  1883 

Reed  W.  Anderson    Oct.  9,   1882 

Nov.  5,  1882 

John  F.  De  Ran               "          " 

<<           <« 

Highland,  Md.  1895 

John  C.  Wiley                  "          " 

<«           « 

William  S.  Allen        May  3,  1896 

June  7,  1896 

Joseph  A.  Gailey             "          " 

<<           << 

Robert  B.  McElwain       "          " 

<<          << 

John  B.  Webb                  "          " 

<«          c< 

June  12,  1898 

Treasurers. 

1823-1844,  William  Gemmill. 
1844-1857,  John  Payne. 
1857-1859,  Samuel  Park  Wiley. 
1859-1865,  John  Johnson. 
1866-1872,  James  C.  Jordan. 
1872-1887,  John  B.  Gemmill. 
1887-  Joseph  A.  Gailey. 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE   PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 


65 


Trustees. 

1879-1883,  John  H.  Anderson, 
1 879- 1 885,  John  B.  Gemmill. 
1 879-1 884,  John  Wiley. 
1882-1887,  John  S.  McElwain. 
1882-  Robert  S.  McDonald. 

1883-1886,  James  R.  Wiley. 
1 884-1 902,  Joseph  W.  Anderson. 

1885-  John  E.  Stansbury. 

1886-  John  H.  Anderson. 
1887-1891,  R.  Cornelius  Liggit. 
1891-  John  M.  Brown. 
1902-  J.  Mitchel  Jordan. 


Sextons. 

1833,  Samuel  Ray. 

1834,  John   Scot.     "Paid  $3.18   for  keeping  the  key. 

1835,  Thomas  Cathcart,  July  1, 

1839,             "  Young  Gipson,"  June  1,  Salary. 

1857-1859,  Samuel  Kerr,  Dec.  1,  $10 

1859-1860,  Joseph  Badders,  Dec.  1,  10 

1 860-1 864,  A.  M.  Strawbridge,  June  1,  10 

1864-1870,  Richard  Strawbridge,  June  1,  10 

1870-1875,  Frank  P.  Strawbridge,  June  1,  16 

1875-1877,  Robert  Singleton,  June  1,  40 

1877-1882,  Leah  Mitchel,  May  1,  40 

1882-1887,  Joseph  B.  Tyrrel,  May  1,  55 

1887-1888,  George  S.  Butcher,  May  1,  55 

1 888-1 89 1,  W.  Payne  Norris,  May  1,  75 

1891-1893,  J.  Frank  Norris,  May  1,  75 

1893-           Amos  Harman,  May  1,  75 


66 


HISTORY   OF    CENTRE    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 


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